Evgeny Knyazev: long-standing friendship ties Russia with South Caucasus

He have long standing good friendly relations with Russia and the countries of South Caucasus, as we lived together during a long period of time, the actor and the rector of the Schukin Theatre Institute, Evgeny Knyazev, told in an interview with a 'Vestnik Kavkaza' correspendent, speaking about the cooperation between theaters of Russia and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

On the threshold of the 98th anniversary of the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia (May 26th – the Georgia's independence day, May 28th – the Republic Day in Azerbaijan, and on May 28th, the Republic Day in Armenia) Vestnik Kavkaza published a series of statements by Russian politicians, economists and cultural figures about among Russia and those countries.

"We have friendly and long standing relations with the republics, and I want that all these countries could maintain their history, their culture in order to our relations could continue to be very friendly and good-neighborly," Knyazev said.

He described Azerbaijan as "the independent state, which develops in a very interesting way." "I managed to visit it once. I like the city's development and the Azerbaijani way of life there. A huge festival dedicated to Pushkin and Lermontov took place there, but, unfortunately, I failed to join it. There is a rich cultural life that I really like it," the actor said.

"I sometimes I meet posters with Azerbaijani artists. I know that some of our artists often travel to Baku. The Ministry of Culture asked our institute to organize the course of Azerbaijani children at the Shchukin Theater Institute I order to train specialists who could come back and join the Azerbaijani national Theatre. This is a good example for me how to cooperate and how to work together,'' the rector said.

"The Baku theater school has always been very good. I have recently acted in a film in in Kiev with actress Sophia Pisman who graduated the Baku Theatre Institute. Do you understand how everything is interweaved,'' Knyazev noted.

As for Armenia, the actor is to play there the next week. "On June 4th, we will show the 'Ensemble. Moscow Virtuosi' program in Yerevan" and play the tango by Piazzolla. I will read Spanish poetry,'' he said, adding that Armenia, and in particular Yerevan has "high culture."

Cooperation with the Georgian theater circles is also developing very actively. "The Director of the Russian theater, Nikolay Sventitsky, organizes the Batumi summer school for the third year running. He invites our speech teachers, teachers of general subjects and movement teachers. It is the so-called Russian school for young future actors of Russian theater in Georgia. At the same time, he is Georgian,'' Knyazev said.

"When we are invited to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia I immediately become happier due to the fact that our ties still exist and that we need in each other, as we lived together during a long period of time," Evgeny Knyazev admitted.