Ex-Bundestag deputy: “Retro Rally of Russophiles” gives hope for peace

The “Retro Rally of Russophiles” has started in Moscow as part of the 4th Congress of the International Russophile Movement. In a conversation with Izvestia on September 15 just before the official start, Waldemar Gerdt, a participant in the race, a former member of the Bundestag and chairman of the “International Council of Russian Germans”, stressed that such events give hope for peace and international friendly relations.

“This is a very good reason to establish friendly relations between young people. <…> This gives hope that peace will exist after all, we will be able to protect peace through friendly relations at the human—to-human level, which is the most valuable thing,” he explained.

Another participant in the race, Amadou Sekou Gambi, a representative of the African Russophile movement, said he felt great pleasure participating in the rally. He clarified that in his homeland, in the Republic of Mali, he has his own retrocar, a “Volga” GAZ-3101.

“I am the only person who drives a “Volga” in Africa. It’s really nice to see all these old Soviet—era cars [that were driving on the roads] when we were studying here,” the gentleman shared.

The cars started at the iconic Russian Foreign Ministry building. The route ran through the Garden Ring and the embankment of the Yauza River to the end point at the Museum of the Special Purpose Garage of the Federal Security Service of Russia at VDNH.

“Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on September 14 that interest in Russian culture among young people has grown markedly in the countries where the international cultural and educational project “Dance Overture of the World 2.0” was held. She noted that the performances of artists from different countries on the same stage make it possible to combine different dance traditions and create stable cultural contacts.