(Foreign friends and the CCP) Kulikova: I have been engaged in the cause of Russia-China friendship for a lifetime and will continue to do it

  China News Service, Moscow, May 26, title: Kulikova: I have been engaged in the cause of friendship between Russia and China for my whole life and will continue to do it

  China News Agency reporter Wang Xiujun

  "I have been engaged in the cause of Russia-China friendship for a lifetime, and will continue to do it."

  The person who said this was Kulikova, the first vice chairman of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Association and the winner of the Chinese "Medal of Friendship", a name familiar to those engaged in Sino-Russian exchanges.

  In an interview with a reporter from China News Agency, Kulikova said that in 2012, when Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang visited Russia, she asked her: How many years have been engaged in the cause of Sino-Russian friendship?

At that time, his answer was "I have done it for a lifetime".

Now another nine years have passed, and the 86-year-old Kulikova is still engaged in this business.

She said that she has been closely connected to China and Russia-China friendship all her life.

  In October 1949, the People's Republic of China was established.

At that time, Kulikova was still a middle school student.

The Soviet media conducted extensive reports on the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The documentary films "Liberated China" and "The Victory of the Chinese People" filmed by Xie Gerasimov and "Moscow" composed by Soviet composer Murajeri were shown in theaters. "Beijing" became the song of friendship between the two countries.

  This had a huge impact on Kulikova.

When she graduated from high school, Kulikova was determined to learn Chinese.

After that, she successfully entered the Moscow Oriental Institute (later the Oriental Department of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations) to study Chinese.

While in university, Kulikova participated in the 6th World Youth and Students Peace and Friendship Festival.

At the festival, Kulikova had a more intuitive impression of China and the Chinese people-she accompanied the Chinese actors participating in the festival to visit Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Chita and other places.

Kulikova gets along with them very happily, even after the Chinese friends return home, Kulikova still keeps correspondence with them.

  On October 19, 1957, a conference held in the Great Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory affected Kulikova's life.

The meeting decided to establish the Soviet-China Friendship Association, which was the first Soviet Union for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Kulikova recalled that she was lucky to participate in this important historical event.

"My life, destiny and work have always been linked to this institution. This institution has also written many glorious chapters in the history of relations between the two countries."

  In 1960, Kulikova formally entered the Soviet-China Friendship Association, starting from the secretary, step by step, until 1989 was elected as the first vice chairman of the Soviet-China Friendship Association.

In December 1989, Kulikova went to China and worked in the Soviet (Russian) Embassy in China for 10 years.

After returning to Moscow in 2000, she still chose to return to work in the Russia-China Friendship Association.

  During her work in China, Kulikova had extensive contacts and exchanges with celebrities in China's political and literary circles, and many of them became her lifelong best friends.

Together with Kulikova, these people have made great contributions to the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

  On September 29, 2019, Kulikova was awarded the "Medal of Friendship", China's highest foreign medal of honor in Beijing, and became the second Russian to receive the medal after Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She said that this is not only a major event in her life, but also a major responsibility of her own.

"The medal is not only a recognition of me, but also a recognition of thousands of my colleagues. They have contributed their talents and sweat to the development of the friendship between the two peoples."

  Kulikova mentioned that since the establishment of the Soviet (Russian)-China Friendship Association, the Friendship Association has not stopped its activities for a day.

Even during the difficult years of Soviet-Chinese relations, the Friendship Association held more than 300 events.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the "Russia-China Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation." The Russia-China Friendship Association will initiate and organize a large number of activities in Moscow and other regions of Russia, including round tables and seminars.

  This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Kulikova said that in order to commemorate this important day, the Russia-China Friendship Association will also hold a series of activities.

These activities will first be aimed at young people, explaining to them the meaning of Chinese words such as "well-off", "Chinese dream", and "two hundred years", and let them understand that behind these words is the Chinese Communist Party leading the Chinese people. The road to a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist modern country.

(Finish)