DUSHANBE, September, 2011, Asia-Plus -- A ceremony of an officially opening of the Russian Center of Science and Culture took place in Dushanbe on September 2.

The ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe, Russia’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), Tajik Minister of Education Abdujabbor Rahmonov, Tajik Minister of Culture Mirzoshorukh Asrori and some other officials.

“The Center will promote the study of the Russian language as well as culture and history of the Russian people,” Tajik minister of education noted.

Vladislav Kurnushko, the deputy head of Rosssotrudnichestvo’s representative office in Tajikistan, said in an interview with Asia-Plus that the Center was opened here under a government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Russia on opening of Tajik center of science and culture in Moscow and Russian center of science and culture that was signed in Dushanbe on February 1 2011 during the Rossotrudnichestvo head Farit Mukhametshin’s visit to Tajikistan.

The main objective of the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Dushanbe is in promoting expansion of humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.  The Center will have classes fro studying the Russian language, library and reading hall, as well as an electronic reading hall that will be connected to Russia’s Presidential Library named after Boris Yeltsin.

Founded on September 6, 2008, the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation, commonly known as Rossotrudnichestvo, is an autonomous Russian federal government agency under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The agency was established with the aim of maintaining Russia''s influence in the Commonwealth of Independent States, and to foster friendly ties for the advancement of Russia''s political and economic interests in foreign states.