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In India, the grand opening of the Center of the Russian Geographical Society took place in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, state of Kerala. The initiator of the creation of the new Russian Geographical Society Centre in India was the Honorary Consul of Russia and Director of the "Russian House" in Thiruvananthapuram Ratheesh C. Nair. For more than 20 years, he has been actively involved in the development of Russian-Indian relations and the establishment of direct ties between the cities of the two countries, and regularly helps in the implementation of projects dedicated to Russian culture.

The Krasnoyarsk regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society provided support in organising the Centre of the Russian Geographical Society on the basis of the newly opened Russian House in the Indian city. Ilya Bannikov, member of the Russian Geographical Society from Zheleznogorsk, personally participated in the event dedicated to the expansion of international relations. He brought materials on the activities of the Russian Geographical Society, the Krasnoyarsk Region, about the Krasnoyarsk Stobly Nature Reserve and photo albums titled "The Most Beautiful Country".

The opening of the Russian Geographical Society branch was attended by honored guests, including members of the royal family, researchers and students of the University of Kerala, representatives of the Indian-Russian youth club, city residents, as well as Russian compatriots. Present on behalf of the Russian Geographical Society were the acting director of the Department of Expert-Analytical and International Activities Svetlana Vorobyova and a member of the Russian Geographical Society Ilya Bannikov.

During the opening event, a symbolic Indian blessing ceremony also took place. The participants lit a special ceremonial lamp.

The speakers noted the importance of opening the Russian Geographical Society Center in the format of friendly relations between Russia and India and the need to develop cooperation in the field of geography. Chairman of the Krasnoyarsk regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society Igor Spiridenko said:

— We are continuing a lot of systemic efforts to expand sociocultural, scientific, and public international relations. We are developing interaction in the field of geographical knowledge with colleagues in the BRICS countries. And the opening of the Russian Geographical Society branch in Thiruvananthapuram is a major event among the key events. We will continue to work in this direction.