Rossotrudnichestvo  to open three new branches in Armenia - Primakov

ArmInfo.  Rossotrudnichestvo plans to open three new branches in Armenia, as stated by the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Yevgeny Primakov, during a press conference  dedicated to the 100th anniversary of public diplomacy.  Referring to  the activities of the organization in Armenia, Primakov emphasized  that the Russian House in Yerevan is one of the leading cultural  centers in its work. "The agenda includes opening branches in  Vanadzor, Ijevan, Kapan, but this requires coordination with the  country's Foreign Ministry," the head of Rossotrudnichestvo noted.

When asked about Rossotrudnichestvo's competitive strategy in light  of USAID's closure and the West's use of soft power tools, Primakov,  in particular, said: "We build developing our policy, our work, our  events without taking into account what USAID has done. We have our  own projects - educational, cultural, and more. We cannot compare  ourselves to USAID in terms of resources - they are incomparable.   However, I do not feel any great joy about their closure. I think  they will just change the sign on the box with money - it will be  called something else. If they used to spend absolutely huge amounts  of money, which Elon Musk is now investigating - on issues like  gender equality among penguins or some other nonsense - then now they  will spend it more wisely. And I am not sure whether Russia will  benefit from this. I would not deceive myself."