"Yury Bashmet and children's orchestra"

Ambassador Borodavkin
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen:

I would like to welcome you to the Palais des Nations for a very special concert. This evening, we will have the pleasure of listening to Yury Bashmet, one of the greatest violists in the world, accompanied by some very talented young people from many countries.

I would like to express my appreciation to Ambassador Borodavkin and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation, who have been so actively contributing to our Cultural Activities Programme here at UNOG. And thank you to Mr. Bashmet for not only his magnificent music, but also for his efforts to support the creativity and spirit of young people.

The Palais des Nations is a meeting place for dialogue, for cooperation and for culture. There are over 10,000 meetings held here every year. At times, in these hallways you can hear the sounds of disaccord and disagreement as people struggle to come to agreement together. This evening, however, we meet in this impressive Assembly Hall to hear something altogether different: the sound of music. There is no better way to come together than through music. And it is not just any music that we will have the pleasure of listening to; it is the music of one of Russia’s most celebrated artists, Mr. Yury Bashmet.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Let us all be inspired by the wonderful music of Mr. Bashmet and these talented young people this evening.

And as we enjoy the concert, let us recommit to working together – and in harmony - to build a more prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.

Thank you very much.