Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian Minister of Culture

I welcome guests and participants of the Second Eurasian Media Forum. I am delighted that the forum is taking place in Almaty, the city with long-standing cultural and historic traditions, in the year declared as the "Year of Kazakhstan in Russia."

Free press is the key guarantor that the democratic path pursued by our countries is irreversible. For the last few years Russian and Kazakhstan journalism have passed a remarkable yet very challenging point. Freedom of the press was established; many interesting publications, TV programs, radio stations emerged; and a new phenomenon of Internet journalism has seen rapid and progressive development.

I am confident that the forum will bring together the most talented journalists for the sake of the entire world community and will help shape the joint informational space in Eurasia. I wish the Forum and its participants every success, health, prosperity and good luck in their creative efforts.