Studvesny participants in Stavropol talked about diplomacy and cooperation

kavkaz.mk.ru [translation of Russian-language article]

Stavropol State Agrarian University image (not from article) from

In the framework of the IV Forum of young leaders of the BRICS and SCO countries at the site of , two topics were discussed: “Public diplomacy [JB emphasis] as soft power” [JB in Russian: «Общественная дипломатия как мягкая сила»] and “Cultural and humanitarian cooperation”

There were so many people who wanted to talk about their countries and projects that each speaker had to be limited to five minutes. Despite the busy schedule, about fifty young people from the stage had time to share with colleagues their experiences in various fields, to speak about the importance of public diplomacy and cultural interaction.

What contemporary youth lives for, what goals it sets itself, can be judged by the speeches of some forum participants.

DVANI JAIN, India:

- I want to express my deep gratitude to the leaders of the Stavropol Territory for the excellent organization of the festival! In your beautiful and cozy city we all feel at home!

Dear friends, today we have a unique opportunity to establish solid cooperation in various fields - business, culture, ecology, science. And the more we find such points of contact, the stronger will be our world.

I especially want to talk about the role of women in modern international relations. I think that it is a woman who will become that figure of diplomacy, both popular and official, with which history will lead the most important mission of building future relations between countries.

IVAN GRIVA, Moscow:

- I represent the Youth Council of the Peoples of Russia in the State Duma. Our task is to find the unique code that unites all nationalities living in the country. It would seem that in Russia we know each other for a long time and well. But, I assure you, the cultural interaction of our peoples has not yet been fully realized, which means that it has endless prospects.

Meanwhile, I would like our rich experience of living together in one territory of different nationalities, having an ancient history, living and immediate, to become part of the common cultural space of the BRICS and SCO countries.

VLADIMIR SAMOILENKO, Stavropol:

- Let me share the experience of cooperation of the North Caucasus Federal University in the field of education. About 1,500 students from abroad, half of which are from the BRICS and SCO countries, study at the university today.

The most extensive work is already underway at the university with 44 universities in foreign countries. This is an exchange of delegations, joint writing of diplomas, and scientific research. Recently, the practice of issuing double diplomas has been studied with Uzbekistan.

Education, in my opinion, is the most significant part of public diplomacy, for which there is a great future.

YERMEK SAPABEGOV, Kazakhstan:

- Ecology in the modern world has become a global problem, and therefore it needs to be addressed through joint efforts. Today our project “My Eco-School” is already working in three cities of Kazakhstan. Largely thanks to him, Kostanay became the cleanest city in the country. But our first task is environmental education.

According to the results of the competition, for example, we select the best photo on the theme of nature and ecology, which then adorns the central streets of cities as a large banner. We hold herbaria contests, involve students and schoolchildren in ecological landings.

The campaign “Plant a Tree and Breathe Free Breast” is very popular. In Kustanai every year we plant about ten thousand saplings of trees and shrubs.

Shakir Khudayarov, Kursk:

- Our organization "KURSK" for more than ten years. We are committed to finding old military memorials, abandoned soldiers' graves and restoring them. But this is only one part of the job.

The other part is to involve young people in the noble cause of protecting monuments. We all see how today in some countries memorials to Soviet soldiers are being destroyed, and international standards, alas, do not work.

I want to encourage everyone sitting in this room not to be silent at the sight of how the story is distorted! We are young, energetic, brave and let's fight together for the truth!

Evgeny Zakharchenko, Smolensk:

- I want to share the experience of the Russian-Belarusian youth cooperation. We are talking about the project "Meet the Stars", which includes workshops, seminars, sports competitions, contests.

Most of all, of course, the project involves children from the Smolensk and Vinnytsia regions. Recently, the Youth Council of the Frontier Region was created. We live as one big friendly family, there is no state border between us, we visit each other and travel. In this friendship is the pledge of our future!

KHUNDAIR ANCELLEM, Elista:

- I represent the Elista branch of the Association of Foreign Students. Today the organization has 42 branches in Russia. We try to protect the rights and interests of foreign students, help them overcome the language barrier, we acquaint them with the diverse culture of Russia. All these areas are implemented through projects and programs. Who else does not know about our organization, join us!

LEILA AGAEVA, Azerbaijan:

- Our Association of Contemporary Art "YARAT" has about seventy people, but its number is regularly growing. We are promoting Azerbaijani art, both at home and abroad. These are dozens of creative meetings, exhibitions, presentations.

A separate part is educational. We try to instill in young people a taste for knowledge and culture. To convey the truth that art is not something boring, incomprehensible, frozen, but life itself, vivid impressions, a sea of ​​energy and infinitely wide horizons!