I cordially greet the participants and guests of the 5th World Congress of Russian Press. Your representative forum has united journalists, politicians and public figures of Russia, Azerbaijan and many other states of the world. It gathered heads and editors, working in Russian and foreign Russian language editions for wide and many-sided discussion. You Congress will be dealing with professional issues and humanitarian, educations, cultural problems as well.

Such many-sided dialogue is actual today. It is pleasant that it is being held in the capital of Azerbaijan, connected with Russia by old, friendly and good neighboring relations.

I am sure that such experience exchange will further promote development of inter-state relations and, of course, setting direct human contacts.

I wish fruitful work to participants of the Congress and success, welfare and creative luck to representatives of Russian language press from abroad.

Vladimir Putin

President of the Russian Federation

Moscow city