Panel Session "People's Diplomacy: Traditions and Innovations" – Outcomes

12/06/2022 14:22

Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Ilhom Nematov, speaking at the International People's Diplomacy Forum, dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, appreciated the desire of the international union to use innovative approaches and modern mechanisms of cultural-humanitarian, scientific-educational and business interaction in the implementation of its tasks.

On June 3, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation hosted the panel session "Public Diplomacy: Traditions and Innovations" of the International People's Diplomacy Forum. The discussion highlighted traditional and innovative methods and approaches in the search for new forms of interaction aimed at maintaining peace, harmony and public diplomacy for the development of a multi-level integration model - a Great Eurasian Partnership.

The panel session was organized by the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly with the assistance of the A. M. Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund and the All-Russian Public Organization "Association of Russian Diplomats".

The panel session was attended by representatives of Russia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, France, Italy.

The discussion was supported by heads of non-governmental organizations, public opinion leaders, representatives of government bodies, the scientific and educational community, and journalists.

The event was moderated by the Deputy Executive Director of the A. M. Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund Victoria Karslieva and the Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly Yuri Palamarchuk.

The session was opened by Svetlana Smirnova, First Deputy Secretary General - Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of People’s of Russia.

Margarita Pavlova addressed the participants of the session with a welcoming speech from the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, noting that the work to unite all the peoples of Eurasia through the development of traditions of people’s diplomacy is going in the right direction. The importance of the institution of the family as the basis of the state and the successor of traditions, education, love for the motherland, respect for elders was emphasized.

Addressing the forum participants, Zafar Akhmedov, Advisor to the Chairman of the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Relations with Foreign Countries under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, noted that the republic stands for an active cultural and humanitarian dialogue, development and exchange in education and tourism as the most important tool for people’s diplomacy and that open and simple human communication is the most reliable way to strengthen the atmosphere of friendship, solidarity and stability.

On behalf of the Council of Elders of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, Alexander Trubetskoy, President of the Franco-Russian Alliance Association, delivered a greeting to the participants and guests of the session and expressed the opinion that various political forces today find it difficult to resolve all the accumulated issues peacefully. And Eurasia, being the largest part of humanity, thanks to the influence of people’s diplomacy, can and should apply the efforts of experience and balance in resolving world issues, because "people’s diplomacy is the diplomacy of reason and the diplomacy of catholicity."

A bright welcoming speech on the topic of happiness was made by the participants of the international project "EURASIA KIDS" from 11 countries of the world, reminding adults that happiness is a great and bright feeling of joy and unity with friends and family.

Within the forum of people’s diplomacy at the panel session "Traditions and Innovations" Andrey Belyaninov, Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, and Yulia Ebzeeva, acting Rector of the Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Peoples' Friendship University of Russia", signed a cooperation agreement.

The interaction of organizations will be aimed at the joint implementation of socially significant programs and projects in the field of international cooperation, as well as at deepening partnerships between the peoples of different countries.

The speakers of the session devoted their speeches to discussing the issues of traditions and innovations in people’s diplomacy, noted the need for continuity and the use of the positive experience of previous generations in this area. Within the session, models of innovative searches in people’s diplomacy from the heads of non-governmental organizations and educational institutions were presented.

In his speech, Abdukhalil Gafurzoda, Chairman of the Friendship and Cooperation Center of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tajikistan, Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, focused on the fact that the country always has a policy of open doors and hospitality. As a partner of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, the Friendship Center is always ready to participate in international events of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly within the people’s diplomacy.

Anastasia Subbotina, Director of the Department of National and Religious Relations of the Administration of the Governor of the Perm Territory, presented the project - the international contest "Leader of People’s Diplomacy", implemented jointly with the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly .

Sergei Palagin, director of the Center for Analysis and Forecasting of Union Integration Processes, drew the attention of the panel session participants to the fact that true diplomacy is people's diplomacy, since it relies on information from the people around us. The topic of Eurasianism is gaining paramount importance, and in order to maintain it, it is important to unify education and change programs in secondary and higher educational institutions, focusing on the Eurasian space.

Movses Ghazaryan, Director of Analytical Programs of the Modern Diplomacy Development Foundation, based on many years of experience in the implementation of large cross-border social, humanitarian and economic projects, called modern diasporas the forerunner of people’s diplomacy as a format for interaction between countries:

“Today we must rely on the traditions of the past: when there were no communication systems between people, diaspora ties could create cross-border formats of cooperation. The creation of platforms for communication within cooperation between diasporas can become innovative.”

Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Chairman of the Committee of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia on the Ethnocultural Development of the Russian People Igor Krugovyh proposed to generalize traditional national and cultural values ​​into a single code for universal unity. The idea of ​​creating new international organizations for the development of national sports and Eurasian structures that would unite fraternal peoples within Eurasia sounded innovative. The project "EURASIADA" was presented as an innovative step towards the development of a dialogue between the peoples of Eurasia.

The organizers thank the partners of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly for participating in the discussion: the Development Strategy Center (Uzbekistan); State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for work with diasporas; Center for Public Diplomacy of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan; Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan; the Assembly of the People of Kyrgyzstan; the International Assembly of Capitals and Major Cities (IAC); La Ricerca seneza Frontiere (Italy); Resource Center in national relations of the All-Russian public organization "Assembly of the Peoples of Russia"; Social Activity Fund "Idea"; Alexander Zavarzin, Director of the Information and Analytical Department of the CIS Executive Committee; Artur Atanesyan, Doctor of Political Science, Professor of Yerevan State University (Armenia); Gulnaru Inanj, editor of the information and analytical agency "Ethnoglobus" (Azerbaijan); Tamila Mamatova, Kyrgyz sculptor, participant of the Marble Mile. Identity Forum”; Sergei Kuchinsky, head of the international project "Bridges of Friendship".

Summing up the panel session, the participants expressed the opinion that in the modern context, against the backdrop of rapidly changing realities of international relations and the persistence of interstate contradictions, people's diplomacy is becoming more and more in demand and necessary. Being a participant in civil initiatives is the most important task.