01/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - Some 300 government representatives, experts and high-ranking representatives of various religious communities across Europe will be attending an international conference on intercultural and inter-religious dialogue in Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia) organised by the Russian Federation (currently chairing the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers). The participants will debate the challenges and opportunities surrounding cultural diversity, the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue and the role of the media in promoting greater mutual understanding. Russia's regional development minister, Vladimir Yakovlev, the President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Rene van der Linden, and the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg, will be taking part.