"A Magnet For Guests of All Ages": the "Architecture of Diplomacy" competition winners speak about the "Journey Across Russia" exposition

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The awardees of the international creative competition for artists "Architecture of Diplomacy", organized by the Main Administration for Service to the Diplomatic Corps (GlavUpDK) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, visited the National Centre RUSSIA on 25 August. On the eve of the award ceremony, which will be held at the Reception House of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the guests visited the "Journey Across Russia" expo. The display presents folk traditions, key achievements and iconic sights of all federal districts of the country.

The visit to the National Centre RUSSIA was not only an additional reward for the winners of the competition, but also an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the versatility and power of Russian culture, history and technology.

"Thank you very much for the informative and beautiful tour. We are pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed with emotions. Everything is done at the highest level, there are lots of interactive effects, as well as sounds and smells. At the same time, it is absolutely impossible to single out the exposition of some particular region, they are all an important part of your large country, and without any particular region it will lose something. So I wish all regions and their inhabitants happiness and prosperity. It's not my first time in Moscow, and it's nice to see that the city is growing, developing and becoming prettier. I am very happy for the Russians and for your country. You have something to be proud of. We Belarusians will always be happy to come to you, and, of course, we will always be glad to see you on our land," Alexander Lomat from the Belarusian city of Grodno shared his impressions. 

The guests were surprised that at the "Journey Across Russia" exposition they managed to get to know the wealth of the whole country in a short time.

"This is our first visit to the National Centre RUSSIA, and we really enjoyed the tour. In a short amount of time, we managed to see all the wealth of our vast country and learned a lot of new things," said Olga Gumen from St. Petersburg.

A large number of technologies are being designed in Russia for the future, both in science and medicine, as well as in agriculture, Olga continued.

"I was very impressed with the modern medical equipment, and the way modern technology is presented at the expo. The exposition's visual component is a real magnet for visitors of all ages. I am sure that everyone will find something for themselves here," added her daughter Alexandra. 

The IV Open Creative Competition "Architecture of Diplomacy" for young artists was organized by the GlavUpDK under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. This year, the competition is being held internationally for the first time.

The idea of expanding its geography was proposed in 2024 by Maria Zakharova — Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, and a permanent member of the jury. Thanks to this, the GlavUpDK initiative has become not only a means of supporting the talented youth, but also an instrument of cultural exchange that strengthens international relations through art.

In total, the competition received more than 300 artworks made by participants from the Russian Federation, and from a number of foreign countries: the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Zambia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Nicaragua, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United States of America, and the Republic of Turkey.