Cultural relations of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Austria at the beginning of the 21st century

The present study is devoted to the analysis of the Russian-Austrian cultural relations in the beginning of the 21st century. In the article an attempt to identify and assess current trends and forms of cultural dialogue between Russia and Austria, the factors which influence bilateral cooperation, as well as to assess the prospects of cultural relations has been made on the basis of extensive source materials and research literature. Modern cultural relations between the two countries reflect the general trends and peculiarities of modern bilateral interaction, are characterized by diversity and depth. Bilateral cultural exchange involves not only capitals, major cities, but also the regions. Cultural cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Austria today is based on a solid legal framework, which is replenished with new documents on both the current programs of cultural exchange and strategic issues. A relevant trend of the modern cultural cooperation is institutionalization. This feature is reflected in the modern dialogue between Russia and Austria. Cultural centers, public and state organizations are successful actors of bilateral cooperation, they bring together a wide audience of participants and contribute to the development of cultural contacts on an ongoing basis. Particular attention in the article is paid to a new format of bilateral cultural cooperation between Russia and Austria — the cross-years of cultures, which have become traditional large-scale events of bilateral exchange. This format contributes to the regionalization of interaction and has an impact on economic, political dialogue and investment policy. The conclusions of the study allow identifying the potential of bilateral cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Austria and forecasting the possible prospects of the cultural dialogue. The chronological framework of this article is the beginning of the 21st to 2020.