OREANDA-NEWS. May 22, 2008. Kiev hosted the celebrations dedicated to the 145th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian scientist, founder of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, Academician V. I. Vernadsky. Participating in the celebrations was a Gazprom delegation headed by Alexander Ishkov, Deputy Head of the Company’s Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department.

The celebrations started with academic reading in the Presidential Hall of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine. Present were Boris Paton, President of Ukraine’s NAS; Academician Erik Galimov, Member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Viktor Shudegov, Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; Kirill Stepanov, President of the Vernadsky Foundation; representatives of the legislative and executive branch of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine.

Alexander Ishkov noted in his opening speech that V. I. Vernadsky had revived the ancient idea of the central role of man and mind in the Universe. V. I. Vernadsky believed that the supreme task of science was to create and develop scientific ideology and build an integrated worldview. V. I. Vernadsky perceived man as a creator of something new, creator of the noosphere. He remains in the world science and culture as a humanist and great scientist.

“In its new Environmental Policy Gazprom is starting to pursue a new major principle – sustainable development, which is construed by us as the dynamic economic development coupled with the maximally high natural resource conservation and environmental preservation for generations to come. In future Gazprom will go on striving to be consistent with the ideas brought forward by the great Russian scientist – V. I. Vernadsky,” said Alexander Ishkov.

The celebrations on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of V.I. Vernadsky’s birth will continue tomorrow. Gazprom’s delegation will take part in a meeting with Ukraine’s NAS President Boris Paton, pay a visit to the Vernadsky Library and National University of Kiev as well as lay flowers at the monument to the outstanding Russian scientist.