Overview
- The festival opened shortly before the November 4 holiday, a timing Putin called symbolic.
- His message also highlighted continuity between generations as a core theme of the celebration.
- Organizers describe the gathering as a large international showcase of peoples of Russia and the CIS.
- The event is taking place in Moscow under the auspices of the Russian Security Council for the first time.
- The greeting was read to attendees by Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu.