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On November 18, within the International Public Diplomacy Forum ‘Everyone's Responsibility for the Shared Future’, the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly and the Government of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra held a panel session ‘From People's Trust to Trust of Economies’.
Representatives of international organizations, government and business discussed how public diplomacy helps to form the foundation of trust between countries and what practical benefits it brings. According to the session participants, public diplomacy makes visible common social, cultural and scientific perceptions, which, in turn, builds trust - first between people and then between countries. This allows for effective co-operation and forms a competitive advantage in global markets.
The panel session started with the ceremonial signing of an agreement between the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly ‘and the Eurasian Partnership Association. The participants then discussed how to use the diverse potential of public diplomacy, how to move from trust of people to trust of economies, and what civil society institutions can do to foster an atmosphere of business trust.
The session was moderated by Svetlana Smirnova, Chairperson of the General Council of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly. She emphasized that it was no coincidence that the International Public Diplomacy Forum was held within the Ugra Economic Forum, because trust is at the heart of all economic relations. It is this trust that creates conditions for comfortable business in different countries. She noted that one of the tasks of the session is to understand what is missing for the Eurasian space to become a space of trust and emphasized that the Greater Eurasian Partnership unites the whole world.
‘The Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly was created as a public integration model of the Greater Eurasian Partnership based on the principles of mutual respect and preservation of spiritual and moral values,’ Svetlana Smirnova noted.
Secretary General of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly Andrei Belianinov noted that it is up to entrepreneurs to organize the business process, but today, when the norms of international law have been violated and the world lives not according to the rules, but according to the concepts, mutual trust is needed. Non-profit organizations help to establish this trust.
‘The signing of foreign trade contracts is reduced to a conceptual plane. Financial settlements are made, but the financial system is subject to sanctions, banks are no longer institutions of trust. In our speeches the words ‘education’, ‘culture’ and ‘sport’ have always sounded more often than others - these spheres are closer to the mission of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly than economic issues. But we realize how important it is to build economic ties, and more and more often we receive requests for assistance from partners from different countries.’
Andrei Beljaninov also spoke about the Eurasian Rating Agency, which was established with the expectation that it will not only deal with finance, but also give an objective assessment of all processes taking place in the countries of Eurasia, primarily humanitarian, cultural, educational and sports.
Igor Khalevinsky, member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly Chairman of the Council of the Association of Russian Diplomats, PhD in Economics, noted that today many important international councils and events focus only on economic issues, leaving the possibilities of public diplomacy aside. Often forums and conferences do not discuss such a tool, which proves to be effective in difficult conditions.
Serge Phokas Odunlami (Benin), President of the Centre for Business Development and Cooperation with Russia Foundation and member of the General Council of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly, believes that people's trust is the key factor in developing relations between Russia and Africa. Public diplomacy helps to build respectful attitudes, and in this he sees a significant difference between the approaches to diplomacy in Russia and in former colonizing countries. Both during the Soviet Union and now, Russian institutions understand the importance of cultural and educational exchange: knowledge comes first, then trust, then business. Building long-term relationships is always more important than short-term contracts, believes Serge Phokas Odunlami.
Irina Jayani, chairwoman of the Austrian NGO Association for Eurasian Partnership, is actively developing business co-operation with Russia. She is the founder and director of Progress VI Management GmbH and is convinced that it is public diplomacy that helps to maintain trust between civil society, business and the state, and to appeal to governments that go against their people.
Nursultan Adenov, Director of the SCO and Silk Road Cultural Integration Centre in the Kyrgyz Republic, cited the example of the World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan, which attracted representatives from 89 countries despite political differences. Khristina Romanenko, President of the Tunisian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted the importance of youth policy for intercivilizational dialogue. In her opinion, students are practically living bridges between countries and an excellent example of the possibility of trusting relations.
Summing up the session, Deputy Secretary General and Chairman of the Expert Council of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly, Director General of the International Research Institute of Management Problems, Doctor of Economics, Professor Alexander Ageev said that artistic, pictorial and scientific works have already answered the question about common values on which Eurasian cooperation could be based. He cited the novel The Quiet Don as an example. In creating the lyrical hero of the novel, Grigory Melekhov, the writer explored the views of different participants in the Civil War. The finale of the work, according to Alexander Ageev, is eternal: it is tragic and at the same time realistic.
‘The basis of trust can only be that what is consistent with the laws of nature and consistent with the laws of culture. The values that unite us are very simple: they are values that increase the likelihood of love between people. In the interval of life from conception to the graveyard there are about 18 human needs, including the need to be buried and to know that your grave will not be destroyed for any political reasons’, - said Alexander Ageyev.