From July 27 to 30, 2021, the first meeting of young foreign leaders will take place in Ulyanovsk as part of the “Meeting Russia Reunion” public diplomacy project “Creative Diplomacy”. The project acquaints foreign participants with modern Russia, with the political and cultural structure of the regions. The first region of the meeting was the Ulyanovsk region.
Akil Mohammad, Founder and Chairperson of the International Youth Edu-Skills Founder & President of Indian Students Association will take part in the event for the first time.
Meeting Russia is an annual public diplomacy program for a foreign audience for young political scientists, diplomats, journalists and activists from Europe and America. The Meeting Russia program is the flagship project of Creative Diplomacy (PICREADI).
The Meeting Russia program has been implemented since 2017, consistently expanding the number of alumni and project partners. In the summer of 2021, it was decided to hold the first meeting (reunion) of alumni - to invite project participants from previous years and show them not only the metropolitan realities, but also the modern face of the Russian regions. Ulyanovsk was chosen as the place for the first meeting of graduates: a city on the banks of the Volga with a rich historical past and distinctive cultural development.
“This is the first meeting of alumni and we wanted to hold it outside the capital in order to show the participants not only Moscow, but also the modern regions of Russia. The choice fell on the Ulyanovsk region, because we saw that over the past couple of years a good platform for public diplomacy has been created in the region, many significant international events and forums have been held. There is a team that understands the importance of international cooperation precisely through public diplomacy. Of course, it is always easier to do a project with partners, so we thought it would be great to show the region and work with the team within the framework of the Meeting Russia Reunion project, ”said Natalya Burlinova, President of Creative Diplomacy.
Within the framework of the Meeting Russia Reunion project, the foreign delegation will hold several expert discussions on the topic of modern international relations, get acquainted with the structure of the regional power system and the ULNANOTECH investment cluster. Among the Russian guests and speakers of the event are Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council Andrei Kortunov and Program Director of the RIAC Ivan Timofeev.
“We are pleased to host such a unique English-language event in Ulyanovsk, which is the only one in Russia for international relations specialists of this level. We will show them our investment attractiveness and introduce them to the leaders of the region. All invited speakers are high-level professionals who will share their opinions with the participants and answer their questions, ”commented Diana Kovela, Deputy Director of the Ulyanovsk - Cultural Capital Foundation.
The program is funded by a grant from the Presidential Grants Foundation for the Development of Civil Society in partnership with the Ulyanovsk - Cultural Capital Foundation.