Turkan Oldjay, a Chair professor of Russian language and literature at Istanbul University, believes that the most important task in studying Russian language at the present stage is mastering not only the language system, but also history, literature and culture of the Russian people. We talked with the scholar researching Russian-Turkish cultural relations about Russian émigrés in Turkey, translations of Russian literature into Turkish, and how much Russian language and Russian culture are in demand in Turkey today.

The Gzhel Moscow folk dance ensemble welcomed the New Year in Verona and will tour Italy almost until the end of January. The Gzhel was performing in China during the part of December. One of the most touring folk ensembles in Russia spends abroad six months or more per year. And the political upheavals of recent years had little to no effect on its touring schedule.