THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
I welcome the initiative to establish the global Internet 1996 World Exposition.
Computer communications are impressive achievements of the human intellect. They are in a position to become a powerful stimulus for progress in all areas of life and to pave the way for mankind for the next millenium. The economic, social and cultural well-being of nations and peoples depends to a large extent on how computer communications are developed.
The humanitarian direction of the Internet 1996 World Exposition has great significance. I hope that it will help to bring people closer together, facilitate their mutual understanding, and deepen their knowledge of each other and of their environment.
Particular approval is merited due to the orientation of the exposition's organizers toward youth, toward their approach to the unlimited possibilities of computer communications and toward the development of its creative potential. It is the young people that will have to resolve the problems of the 21st century.
I do not doubt that the Internet 1996 World Exposition will generate intensive interest in Russian society. Scholars, specialists, computer business representatives, educators and students will all be in an advantageous position to evaluate new technologies and the possibilities for breakthroughs in the future.
November 1, 1995