On July 28, the program of Meeting Russia Reunion was opened in Ulyanovsk. More than twenty foreign delegates including politicians, journalists and activists, as well as representatives of the Russian expert community took part in it.
Foreign delegates arrived to Ulyanovsk on 27th July 2021 to take part in the Meeting Russia Reunion program which is a public diplomacy project “Creative Diplomacy”. Delegates had informal discussion with the organizers and get acquainted with the other participants at the inaugural Dinner at Hotel Radisson in Ulyanovsk.
The first day of the program included four sessions, where the guests of the event discussed the political, economic and cultural development of modern Russia and the Ulyanovsk region.
The Meeting Russia Reunion program opened with the discussion “The War of Worldviews as the Basis of the Cold War” 2: 0. New features of the system of international relations 2020-2030 ”. During the discussion, the participants touched upon such topics as the global challenges of humankind, international cooperation on the climate issue and the problem of unequal distribution of resources. Offline and online speakers of the session were Dr. Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian (RIAC) , Dr. Sergei Utkin, Leading Researcher of the Center for Situational Analysis and Head of the Group for Strategic Assessment of the IMEMO, Dr. Yulia Nikitina,Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From the side of foreign participants, Eleonora Tafuro, Research Fellow at the Institute for International Political Studies (Milan), acted as a speaker. The session was moderated by Dr. Natalia Burlinova, Founder and president of the NGO"Creative Diplomacy"
In the second session of Meeting Russia Reunion, the main speaker was the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev. He held a lively discussion with foreign participants about Russia's current foreign policy. Participants discussed current relations between Russia and the West, prospects for further cooperation, and regional conflicts in the Caucasus, the Balkans, and Ukraine.
At the next sessions of the program were held with the participation of representatives of the regional government. The foreign delegation had the opportunity to have a direct conversation with the Acting Chairman of the Government of the Ulyanovsk Region Alexander Smekalin at a business lunch.
Participants of the Meeting Russia Reunion also had the opportunity to meet the First Deputy Governor Alexander Kostomarov. The meeting held at the Ulyanovsk State University which was also attended by Executive Director of the Ulyanovsk - Cultural Capital Foundation Tatyana Ivshina. In this part of the program, participants were able to ask questions about the current development of the city, learn about the cultural and historical component of the region and determine the prospects for cooperation between Ulyanovsk and foreign partners.
During the meeting Akil Mohammad, Founder and Chairperson of the International Youth Edu-Skills Foundation, President of Indian Students Association, RUDN & Member of the International Youth Cooperation Project Office of «Russia-BRICS» presented a traditional souvenir a sculpture of "Elephant -a symbol of divinity, royalty and happiness in Indian culture" to the First Deputy Governor Alexander Kostomarov.
In the presence of First Deputy Governor Alexander Kostomarov an agreement of cooperation was signed between the Ulyanovsk - Cultural Capital Foundation & Creative Diplomacy.
At the end of the first day of the program, the Meeting Russia Reunion delegation attended a master class on making Russian pastries and had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Russian province outside the city.
Participants will have two more days of exciting discussions and meetings with Russian experts, political scientists and activists.