🇷🇺 In Western countries, the prevailing narrative often centres on Russia's supposed imminent collapse, overshadowing Russia's enduring determination to prevail over the crisis.

This narrative appears to be perpetuated by discussions among Western politicians on Russia’s perceived weaknesses, potentially diverting the Western establishment from seeking an end to the conflict.

The narrative of Russia's imminent implosion stems from the persistent notion that the country is vulnerable to internal collapse due to perceived fragility, vastness, and critical imbalances.

The on-going crisis acts as a substantial stress test for Russia, evaluating its ability to make sound decisions, display societal resilience, efficiently utilize resources, adapt its economic model, maintain its political system, manage information strategies, and navigate foreign policy challenges.

Despite the challenges in gauging Russia's situation from an external standpoint, this stress test has revealed Russia's remarkable adaptability, writes Andrey Sushentsov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/unravelling-the-russia-s-implosion-narrative/

#ModernDiplomacy #narrative

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💸🌐 Global debt has hit a record $300 trillion, or 349% leverage on gross domestic product.

Global debt is now $45 trillion higher than its pre-pandemic level and is expected to continue increasing rapidly.

We prepared an infographic on global debt. The high-res infographic is available via this link.

#valdai_infogaphics #finance

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🚩 The significant number of sanctions against Russia has naturally led to an increase in the number of attempts to circumvent them.

If before the start of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine (SMO) in February 2022, investigations into violations of sanctions regimes against Russia were a rather rare phenomenon; over the past year and a half, their number has increased decisively.

The relevant government departments of the US, the EU and other initiators of sanctions are developing the practice of disclosing schemes for circumventing sanctions, identifying typical signs of such attempts and summarizing Russia's experience adapting to new restrictions.

A classic situation of “arms and armour” confrontation arises, when the tightening of pressure leads to the search for ways to adapt to it, and the experience of adaptation is taken into account by the initiators in order to optimise the pressure. However, in the case of sanctions, this confrontation will not last forever.

It is easier for Russian business to avoid sanctions than to bypass them and risk criminal prosecution, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Ivan Timofeev.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/weapons-against-armour-what-do-the-red-flags/

#EconomicStatecraft #sanctions #business

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🇳🇪 Niger today turned out to be central to the strategic interests of a number of global players.

▪️ Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world; the West African country is part of the so-called "Sahel Five".
▪️ It is a landlocked former French colony, most of its territory is located in the Sahara desert.
▪️ Niger provides 25% of all uranium supplies to the EU countries and more than 35% of uranium for the nuclear industry of France.

Now France, in fact, is in a hopeless situation. For it, the cessation of uranium supplies by the new government of Niger is tantamount to a declaration of war, similar to the Bailey incident. Without uranium from Niger, France will face an energy crisis and a decline in economic development, which will lead to a situation similar to what is happening now with the German economy, and will create the preconditions for a direct armed conflict in Africa.

What African solutions is Russia interested in? Traditionally, Russia has always supported the anti-colonial struggle of the countries of the African continent, and now, at the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin declared his support for African countries in their move for sovereignty. Thus, the desire of the people of Niger for sovereignty and refusal to exploit France's resources of the country finds support from Russia. As for those African countries that choose their own path, there is an excellent formula: "African problem/s - an African solution", and Russia recognises the right of African countries to make their own choice.

In the current situation with Niger, Russia will need will and wisdom not to weaken, but to maintain and strengthen our positions in Africa, writes Elena Kharitonova.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/strategic-issues-mirrored-by-events-in-niger/

#Norms_and_Values #Niger #Africa

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🇹🇷 Relations with Russia would be one of the key issues for Turkey as multipolarity gains momentum, but Ankara’s foreign adventures would go beyond.

For example, it is more likely than not that Turkey will continue with its search for possibilities and benefits in the emerging multipolar world. It will probably carry on a doubling down of its interest in the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and it will lead, as much as it can, the Organisation of the Turkish States, because numerous factors seem to dictate this multi-faceted and multi-dimensional foreign policy.

All evidence suggests that now, following his victory in the fiercely-contested election, Erdogan will navigate through its own route because this is roughly what the country’s prerequisites dictate. It is true that had the utterly pro-Western opposition won the elections they would have endeavoured to alter Turkey’s course, but even they would have found it quite difficult, if not impossible, to do so, without causing havoc in Ankara’s overall foreign relations. 

Although it seems certain that Ankara will be engaged more and more in multilateral policy in the emerging multipolarity, what needs to be borne in mind is that Turkey will have to do all this while remaining in NATO.

Turkey is not and will not be fighting for multipolarity to prevail but it will/would be set to benefit from that, writes Hasan Ünal.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/what-should-we-make-of-erdogan-s-latest-moves/

#ModernDiplomacy #Turkey

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🌾 The Ukrainian Grain Deal after Russia’s Withdrawal: A Peace Bridge or a Gordian Knot in the Black Sea?

The situation underscores that Russia's decision to pull out of the grain deal extends beyond mere financial considerations. Although current sanctions have constrained Russia's export agility, their impact remains limited. However, the Kremlin contends that the agreement primarily serves Ukraine's interests, with commitments made to Moscow being sidelined. Within this context, Moscow's demands were consistent with the July 2022 framework. 

The prevailing narrative from Russia indicates a preference for tangible actions over suggested alternatives as a condition for re-engaging in the grain deal. In this equation, Turkey and the UN Secretary-General emerge as potential mediators to persuade Russia. 

President Erdogan underlines the importance of the grain deal, which he calls “the peace bridge.” Thus, the reinstatement of this deal would bolster Turkey's global reputation and further its economic interests, writes Hasan Selim Özertem.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-ukrainian-grain-deal-after-russia-s-withdrawal/

#ModernDiplomacy #Turkey #graindeal

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🇰🇷 In the wake of the Ukraine crisis, the existing world order and its principles, which have operated on the premise of US hegemony for the past 30 years, are being destroyed.

Although the outcome of the war is still unclear, some are paying attention to the possibility of a bipolar system forming, in which the US and China are each responsible for one axis due to Russia’s loss of its power status, while some are focusing on the possibility of a multipolar system forming, led by the US, China, Russia, and several other powers together. Other experts also point to aspects of “international disorder”.

The Ukraine crisis is a confrontation between the US and Russia to take the initiative in the world order. In other words, it is a military conflict between the US, which is trying to prevent the emergence of a hegemonic state in the post-Soviet region in order to maintain a unipolar system at the global level, and Russia, which is trying to become a hegemonic state in the post-Soviet region in order to help establish a multipolar system at the global level.

This crisis also poses new challenges for South Korea, which is thousands of kilometres away from the battlefield in Ukraine, writes Sung-Hoon Jeh.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/ukraine-crisis-and-south-korea/

#ModernDiplomacy #SouthKorea #UkraineCrisis

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🚫🇰🇬 In the latest package of US financial blocking sanctions against Russia, introduced on July 20 this year, four companies from Kyrgyzstan were included. 

Such restrictions fit into an already-existing trend. Companies from friendly countries are under threat of blocking sanctions for dealing with sanctioned Russian entities or violating US export control rules. At the same time, Washington is stepping up work with the authorities of these countries in order to more effectively control the behaviour of foreign business, in a way that suits American interests.

Despite Russia's friendly relations or even alliances with a number of states, companies from these countries often continue to observe US sanctions laws.

Sanctions against third countries are unlikely to ensure the blockade of Russia desired by the Western initiators. This was not achieved even with respect to Iran, whose economy is smaller than Russia's. However, one should keep in mind the costs for business and not have illusions about the connection between political relations with friendly countries and the real strategies of business and authorities, taking into account sanctions risks from Western countries, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Ivan Timofeev.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/us-sanctions-against-companies-from-kyrgyzstan/

#EconomicStatecraft #sanctions #Kyrgyzstan

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⚔️ Would the Ukraine crisis be limited to Ukraine’s territory?

Russia is fully cognizant that currently the American bureaucratic procedures governing the allocation of resources essential for sustaining Ukraine are duly reflected in the military budget for the upcoming fiscal year, implying that the conflict is unlikely to conclude within this timeframe.

Both the US Congress and the White House exhibit a shared comprehension and alignment in their objective to achieve “victory over Russia” on the battlefield. This institutional consolidation renders the United States a formidable adversary in this conflict, particularly within the scope of the annual timeframe.

Nevertheless, our interlocutors seem to be struggling to fully grasp the notion that Russia possesses invincible military capabilities. Russia has unequivocally conveyed its commitment to pursue its goals through any means necessary, even if it involves prolonged military action. Given such circumstances, negotiations would have been a more rational approach to dealing with Russia.

Understanding the significance of Ukraine to Russia and recognising the necessity of engaging in dialogue to address the matter would have been prudent. Russia will achieve its goals anyway.

Societies appear fatigued by the prolonged crisis, but this exhaustion has not yet led to significant shifts in public opinion among the European countries.

The Ukraine crisis would be limited to the territory of Ukraine only if no armed forces of NATO countries would enter the frontline, writes Valdai Club Program Director Andrey Sushentsov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/would-the-ukraine-crisis-be-limited-to-ukraine/

#ModernDiplomacy #Ukraine #UkraineCrisis

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🇷🇸🇷🇺 Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation to protect the inhabitants of Donbass, Western pressure on Serbia has been constant.

Demands to impose sanctions on Russia are put forward by representatives of Western countries at every meeting with the country's leadership, regardless of the topic under discussion. Appeals to implement the anti-Russian measures are contained even in congratulatory telegrams.

The West is not limited to political pressure and the adoption of resolutions; it also threatens to tighten the visa regime and introduce economic restrictions, given the fact that the EU is Serbia's largest trading partner. In fact, it has threatened the imposition of sanctions against the country.

However, no sanctions against Russia have been imposed so far, and the Russian media outlets have not been closed down.

Refusing to support anti-Russian measures, the Serbian leadership takes into account, first of all, its political interests, as the Russian Federation supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, but also the opinions and moods of the country's inhabitants. 

Despite the geopolitical realities, all the challenges and difficulties that both sides face, relations between Russia and Serbia are strong at the present stage. If the history of bilateral relations teaches us anything, it is that if Russian-Serbian relations worsen, they will quickly improve, because contacts and ties remain.

Centuries-old spiritual and cultural ties, the historical past and historical memory have been and remain the guarantee of good bilateral relations, writes Milana Živanović.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/politics-geopolitics-history-russian-serbian/

#Norms_and_Values #Serbia

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🇷🇺🌍 While the Russia -Africa summit is not unique in the sense that other countries have also found it meaningful to interact with African heads of states in one forum (examples include the China-Africa summit, US-Africa summit, India-Africa summit, Japan-Africa summit and Turkey-Africa summit), what is unique about the recently concluded summit in St. Petersburg is the diversity in the nature of participants, issues and thematic areas that were addressed. 

There has been a growing number of summit diplomacy critics who view the events from a post-colonial lens and argue that African leaders should not gather to meet other heads of state because they are equally heads of states themselves. While this argument is simplistic and populist to an extent, it does offer an opportunity for African leaders to think of the possibilities of hosting other heads of state. This can serve as an opportunity for them to also showcase opportunities and a development agenda that can be implemented through cooperation with other countries. That, however, is not the only lesson that the summit in St. Petersburg offers.

1️⃣ For one, it shows that Africa can leverage its numbers to become a formidable agency at the international level, something individual countries are not likely to have. The collective strength of African states is consistent with Pan-Africanism and could be the vehicle by which the continent raises its issues to a level of priority.

2️⃣ Secondly, summit diplomacy should not be confused as an attempt to dilute or even get rid of bilateral relations. Indeed, during the Russia-Africa Summit, many bilateral agreements took place not only between Russia and an African state but also among African states themselves. Thus, such platforms should be seen as an effective opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations while looking at the bigger picture.

Furthermore, summit diplomacies can offer African countries a channel to explore different avenues of engagement by listening to the proposals on the table during one summit to another and strengthen cooperation with those that offer better terms of cooperation. The Second Russia -Africa summit did have numerous opportunities regarding this direction, even though some of these benefits were overshadowed by information warfare, writes Israel Nyaburi Nyadera.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-second-russia-africa-summit-lessons-beyond/

#Norms_and_Values #AfricanValdai #RussiaAfricaSummit

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🌍 Reflections on a multipolar world raise the important question of whether or not the representatives of this new world act as equals.

A situation is emerging in which the world of multipolarity is still the world of major regional players and their politicking. Multipolarity means having multiple agendas promoted by different players. Equality, on the other hand, could be ensured by multilateralism, when there is a balance of interests, traditions, cultures and rights among large, medium and small actors. But is this state of affairs suitable for large players? To what extent are the states promoting multilateral rhetoric able and ready to take into account the rights of their smaller neighbours? These issues have their own features in WANA.

The diplomatic recovery of 2023 and regional multipolarity without proper economic (projects already exist) and institutional consolidation of normalization agreements have the risk of a rollback to armed confrontation.

A commitment to inclusive regional development and equality, rather than individual big players, could be the basis of a new regional order, writes Ruslan Mamedov, Senior Research Fellow, Center for the Arab and Islamic Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/regional-multipolarity-vs-regional-multilateralism/

#EconomicStatecraft #multipolarity #multilateralism

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🇮🇹 In 2022–2023 the Italian Republic, like a number of other European countries, faced the sharp problem of diversifying energy supplies.

Winter 2022–2023 was extremely mild in Europe, which helped to prevent an aggravation of the energy crisis, but the situation continues to be quite serious.

During the premiership of Mario Draghi in Italy, a plan was launched to diversify energy supplies with the aim of gradually phasing out Russian gas, which is being replaced primarily by LNG, Algerian, Azerbaijani and Northern European gas. The government of Giorgia Meloni continues to follow this plan, with the declared goal of completely eliminating dependence on Russian gas by the winter of 2024-2025.

In fact, the refusal of Italy to us Russian supplies is postponing the “green transition” in the country, since the economic component does not allow the government to give it any preference.

The Italian Republic seeks to establish itself in two of the most important roles chosen for itself: an active independent actor in international relations and an important member of the pan-European home, consistently upholding the basic values of the EU.

Time will tell how successful such a “two chairs” policy can be, writes Svetlana Gavrilova, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and Political Philosophy at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/italy-s-new-energy-policy-national-interests/

#EconomicStatecraft #Italy #energy #GreenTransition

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🇷🇺 In the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, Russia is defined as "an original civilisation-state, a vast Eurasian and Euro-Pacific power that has rallied the Russian people and other peoples that make up the cultural and civilisational community of the Russian world." 

For the first time in the history of modern Russia, in an official doctrinal document, the idea of the Russian world and the civilisational theory of social development were used as the basis for foreign policy planning and state self-identification. 

The success of the application of the civilisational approach in Russia will largely depend on the content of our system and the ability to filter out inefficient borrowed elements (be it membership in certain international institutions, the “import” of the West’s culture and lifestyle, or excessive economic dependence on foreign currencies).

An analysis of modern history makes it possible to adjust the long-term strategy of relations, taking into account the conjunctural features of the activity of civilisations in the external environment, writes Evgeny Tipailov, Ph.D., Executive Director of ANO "Institute for Problems of Interdependence."

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/a-civilisational-approach-to-state-building/

#EconomicStatecraft #CivilisationState #Russia

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🇺🇸🇯🇵🇰🇷 The first ever trilateral summit of the three states was held on August 18th in the residence of the current US president in Camp David, became a real breakthrough in the long, but rather sluggish process of the formation of this military-political structure.

First of all, it must be emphasised that the meeting itself and its results are an obvious and resounding success of US diplomacy. Washington, with the same hard pressure as in Europe, where it prides itself on how quickly and effectively it mobilised and subordinated its NATO partners to a single allied will, is energetically “lining up” its allies in East Asia as well.

One of the fundamentally important characteristics of the new pact was that, if earlier it was considered as a non-primary instrument intended exclusively for the Northeast Asian region with an eye on North Korea, now its main mission has become global and defined in ensuring the strategic tasks of the US allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The document “The Spirit of Camp David” states: “Our partnership is built not only for our peoples, but for the entire Indo-Pacific region.”

So, Washington continues with indomitable energy to build a new global architecture of military-political alliances which are under its direct control, along the perimeter of the borders of Russia and China, uniting the security infrastructure from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean into a self-contained power infrastructure.

This summit became a real breakthrough in the long, but rather sluggish process of the formation of this military-political structure. There are indeed grounds for seeing a real transformation of the organisation previously described in terms of a “coalition structure” into a quasi-full-format military-political security pact, writes Alexander Vorontsov, Head of the Korea and Mongolia Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/reincarnation-of-the-usa-japan-south-korea-triangl/

#EconomicStatecraft #UnitedStates #Japan #SouthKorea #CampDavid #IndoPacific

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🇷🇺🇨🇳🇰🇵 The prerequisites for the resumption of strategic cooperation between Moscow, Pyongyang and Beijing were brewing against the background of the tightening of Washington's policy towards North Korea under the Biden administration, as well as NATO's military deployment in the Indo-Pacific region.

🔹 So, in 2021, the AUKUS bloc (USA, Britain and Australia) was created, which involves the assistance of Washington and London in the appearance of a nuclear submarine fleet in non-nuclear Australia.

🔹 The Quadripartite Security Dialogue QUAD (Australia, India, the USA and Japan) has already been branded as an anti-Chinese NATO; Canada has proposed the creation of a four-way cooperation structure involving South Korea, Japan, and the United States to counter Russia and China.

🔹 There are more and more persistent signals from Seoul and Tokyo that they are not averse to hosting American nuclear weapons or acquiring their own, which, again, would grossly violate the international non-proliferation regime.

In this regard, the visit to Pyongyang by high-ranking officials from Russia and China is as much moral support as it is a clear sign of the revival of the Russian-Chinese-North Korean coalition, designed to effectively counter the escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

The participation of Russian Minister of Defence Sergey Shoigu in the celebrations in Pyongyang, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Korean people in the Patriotic Liberation War of 1950-1953, was a clear signal to Washington and Seoul about the transformation of Russian policy on the Korean Peninsula in favour of recognizing the DPRK as an important military-political partner, writes an independent analyst Vitaly Sovin.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-north-korea-china-reactivation/

#EconomicStatecraft #Russia #China #DPRK #geopolitics

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🇮🇳 After gaining independence, India’s main goal would be to regain its lost status as a great power, and stand on par with other major great actors. Now, in 2023, India is closer than ever to achieving this status.

Last year, it overtook its former metropole, Great Britain, in terms of GDP, becoming the fifth largest economy in the world; this year it overtook China in terms of population. All other signs of global status are there (except for manned space exploration and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council):

🔹 an Arctic and Antarctic programme
🔹 possession of nuclear weapons
🔹 a successful space programme
🔹 interests around the globe

The interests of Russia and India in the political dimension coincide, but only partially. The Indian development strategy is long-term; within its framework, New Delhi solves several tasks. The key tasks are ensuring stable economic development, reaching third place in terms of global GDP, and securing India’s acceptance into the informal circle of great powers solving key world issues.

The solution of the first task implies the building of economic ties with the USA, Europe, Australia and Japan, and attracting investments and technologies. At the same time, in order not to become dependent on the West, India seeks to expand ties with non-Western players, including Russia.

The solution to the second implies clear rules of the game and a gradual transformation of a generally stable world order based on these rules, instead of its decisive breakdown, writes Alexei Kupriyanov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/global-india/

#Asia_and_Eurasia #India

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🌏 Today, the SCO hosts a variety of meetings and initiatives focused on interregional trade, transit, industrial cooperation, innovation, start-up projects, poverty reduction, the digital transformation, tourism, public diplomacy and other spheres.

This broad and diverse agenda presents a significant challenge for the SCO's secretariat, which must coordinate and manage the various initiatives and activities of its member states. 

Generally, regarding “horizontal expansion”, the SCO should stop this rapid process and answer key questions before launching any new horizontal expansion, including: how far does it plan to expand geographically? Will the process of changing the membership of observer members to main members continue in the future? Can dialogue partners become observer members and in the next step switch to maining members? Is the SCO able to face numerous conflicts and differences in the vast geography of Central Asia, Afghanistan, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and the Caucasus? 

But in vertical development, it seems that the structure of the SCO's secretariat should be fundamentally changed in order to be able to effectively deal with a wide and diverse range of goals and missions. The structure of the European Union Commission can serve as a suitable model for organising and defining the various missions and tasks of the SCO. 

The rapid and significant horizontal and vertical expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has had a negative impact on the coherence, coordination, efficiency and especially the executive guarantee of the organisation's policies and decisions, writes Vali Kaleji.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/challenges-of-expanding-the-sco-to-caucasus/

#ModernDiplomacy #SCO #Eurasia

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🏰🌍 France, of course, lingered in Africa much longer than it should have.

Among Europe’s former colonial empires that created their fortunes on the robbery of African and Asian peoples, France alone was able to create in the region, after leaving it, an infrastructure of political influence that not only affected the economy, but also the basic issues affecting the development of new sovereign states. 

In some countries of the region, including Senegal, Gabon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire and Niger, the French presence is expressed through the deployment of military bases and contingents. The history of the region over the past 40-50 years knows many examples of direct military intervention by the former metropole.

However, every story has an end. Now the development of African societies, as well as the general weakening of their enslavers, has led relations between them to some kind of intermediate finale, after which the former colonial masters will either have to leave altogether or look for new ways of maintaining their presence in Africa. The main reason is that the forces and resources of Paris are no longer sufficient to control the governments of formally sovereign countries, and there is no adequate replacement for it among the leading powers of the West.

Moreover, new external players are coming to Africa more and more actively. Russia is increasing its presence there in the field of security and the fight against religious terrorist groups, and China is increasing its influence in the economic sphere, often offering African countries much more beneficial and respectful models of cooperation than they could ever expect to receive from the West.

The development of African societies, as well as the general weakening of their enslavers, has led relations between them to some kind of intermediate finale, after which the former colonial masters will either have to leave altogether or look for new ways of maintaining their presence in Africa, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev. 

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/colonial-dilemmas-of-the-west/

#Asia_and_Eurasia #Africa #neocolonialism

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📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On September 4, at 4:00 pm, ahead of the Club's session at the Eastern Economic Forum-2023, the Valdai Club will host a presentation of a report, titled "Russia and Asia: Paradoxes of a New Reality", featuring Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.

The military-political crisis in Europe and the economic war of the West against Russia have served as incentives for Moscow to expand and strengthening its relations with Asian states. The vast majority of these countries take a neutral or friendly position towards Russia. The development of relations in 2022 and the dynamics of trade and economic ties with the region show that they are beneficial and useful for the implementation of Russia's most important tasks. Now, 10 years after the announcement of Russia's “pivot to the East" policy, it not only acquires a new meaning and content, but also confirms the correctness of the choice.

In 2022-2023, the countries of Asia and the states of the Arab world are the ones which are most actively developing ties with Russia. This confirms the failure of the West's attempts to isolate Moscow on the world stage. Russia’s partnership with China is developing particularly actively, but we see that other regional partners are also increasingly occupying a significant place in the system of Russian foreign economic relations. Trade, economic ties and political dialogue between Russia and the ASEAN countries are developing dynamically, Indian-Russian relations have acquired a new resonance, also due to India's balanced position in relation to the crisis in Europe. Some Asian countries, despite being US allies, are trying to maintain important areas of cooperation with Russia.

The objective of the Club's new report is to assess the dynamics of relations between Russia and Asian states in 2022-2023. The authors assess how the mechanisms of cooperation and participation of Russia in the regional formats which that have been created over the past decade function amid the new conditions.

🎙️ Speakers:

🇷🇺 Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

🇷🇺 Alexander Korolev, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, co-author of the report

🇷🇺 Ivan Zuenko, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of International Studies, MGIMO, MFA of Russia, Associate Professor, Department of Oriental Studies, MGIMO, MFA of Russia

🇮🇩 Rahakundini Bakrie Konni, Jenderal Ahmad Yani University expert, analyst in the field of defence, military and intelligence activities of Indonesia

Moderator:

🚩 Timofei Bordachev, Programme Director, Valdai Discussion Club

Working languages: Russian, English.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-present-a-report-russia-and-asia-paradoxes-of-a-new-reality/

ℹ️ Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our web site. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763.

A link to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VKontakte, Telegram and Dzen.

#Valdai_EEF #Asia_and_Eurasia #Asia

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