📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On April 22, from 13:40 to 16:40 Kaliningrad Time (GMT +2), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold a special session as part of the International Kant Congress, titled “Reason and Progress? History of Civilisations Turned to the Future”. 

📍 The session will be held at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (BFU) (Kaliningrad, Alexander Nevsky St., 14).

The Valdai session will be opened by Andrey Bystritsky, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Discussion Club. Anton Alikhanov, Governor of the Kaliningrad Region, will also make an opening speech.

During the period of “crumbling” of the world order and the formation of a new polycentric world, the Valdai Club, within the framework of the Kant Congress, will focus its attention on topics that go beyond the political situation. Despite the volatility of international affairs, Valdai continues to facilitate dialogue among experts from various countries and academic disciplines, with an emphasis on objective and unbiased analysis.

The goal of the Valdai session is to examine the present and immediate future through the lens of historical experience. Discussions will centre on issues such as the prospects for contemporary civilizations, trajectories of historical evolution, contemporary values, convergence and divergence between civilizations.

In the opinion of the organizers of the Valdai Club session, the location of the Congress – the Kaliningrad Region – is the best way to discuss topics that have a universal resonance and, especially, historical roots. The Valdai Club has long planned to hold a discussion in the Kaliningrad Region and is now glad to have this opportunity.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-session-at-the-international-kant-congress/

Working languages: Russian, English.

ℹ️ Information for the media: 

For accreditation, please contact the chief specialist of the IKBFU PR office Alexandra Titova by email [email protected], indicating: full name, media, position, list of equipment. Additionally, please Сс this information to [email protected]. If you have any questions about the event, please call +7 9037262385. Accreditation is open until April 19 inclusive. To participate in person, you must bring your passport with you.

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

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⏰ TODAY at 11:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3) the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion on the EAEU as the core component of the Greater Eurasian Partnership.

❓What should be the next steps towards increasing the mutual openness of EAEU memberstates?
❓What are some promising new directions and areas for integration?
❓How should the union’s development strategy take into account global shifts?

These and other questions will be addressed by the discussion participants.

Links 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. 

#WiderEurasia #EAEU #Eurasia

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🎥 LIVE: at 11:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3) the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion on the EAEU as the core component of the Greater Eurasian Partnership.

https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239184

#WiderEurasia #EAEU #Eurasia

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Beijing.

The essence of the healthy development of Sino-Russian relations is as follows: mutual respect in politics; mutual, win-win benefits for the economy; and harmony despite their different cultures.

Russian-Chinese cooperation in global and regional affairs has accumulated rich experience and has an effective platform such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the BRICS mechanism.

In 2024, Sino-Russian strategic interaction will be even more colourful, writes Li Yongquan, Director of the Institute for the Social Development of Europe and Asia of the Research Centre of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/mutual-respect-benefit-and-harmony-without/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #China #ChinaRussia

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🇪🇺 At the beginning of March 2024, the European Commission adopted and published the European Defence Industrial Strategy (“Strategy”) and the European Defence Industry Programme (“Programme”).

These measures were a reaction to Russia’s overall success, both amid its Special Military Operation, as well as in mobilizing the resources of its military-industrial complex.

The current circumstances require the EU and its member states to take immediate action, both to replace weapons supplied to Ukraine and to build up their own military potential, as well as to ensure new supplies.

This step towards establishing a common military-industrial complex for the European Union seems logical, but one should not expect results from its implementation in the short term, write Kirill Seroshtanov and Alexey Timoshenko.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/militarisation-of-the-european-union-beating-plows/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #Europe #militarisation

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🌏 Eurasian Integration in New Realities

On April 17, 2024, the Valdai Club held an expert discussion dedicated to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as the core of the Greater Eurasian Partnership. The discussion was moderated by Timofei Bordachev.

💬 Georgy Arzumanyan, Deputy Director of the Industrial Policy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) emphasised that in spite of today's unfavourable and uncertain economic conditions, the EAEU has proven its worth and effectiveness. A stable integration infrastructure has been formed with significant potential for further development. Speaking about industry as the main driver of economic development, Arzumanyan pointed out that in the real sector, there is now a “reboot” of global technology markets, as well as the relocalisation of production and logistics redistribution. Against this background, many states have moved “to the track of self-sufficiency”. This leads to the need to rethink the industrial policy of the EAEU.

💬 Rakhim Oshakbaev, Director of the TALAP Centre for Applied Research, noted that the prospects for Eurasian integration largely depend on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s future relations with Western countries and the world at large. “Our economic integration can hardly be far from the general political contour,” he added. Oshakbaev agreed with the opinion of those experts who believe that Kazakhstan, despite its initial role as one of the initiators of the integration process, is now generally impeding its development and is not inclined to support “the serious development and implementation of any integration documents.” In his opinion, this is due to the fact that, given the difficult economic situation in Kazakhstan, falling under secondary sanctions could become a “perfect storm” for the country.

💬 “Russian exports exist, have existed and will exist,” said Dmitry Prokhorenko, Foreign Network Overseas Director of the Russian Export Centre, who spoke about Russia’s foreign economic activity in the context of Eurasian integration and about building bilateral chains of interaction with the EAEU countries and partner countries of the union. According to Prokhorenko, the Russian Export Centre actively promotes and supports Russian companies in friendly markets. The centre has opened representative offices in all EAEU countries and many CIS countries. It actively uses the tools of the special economic zones of the EAEU countries to create new production chains aimed at exporting to third countries and supplying components to assembly plants in Russia.

💬 “First and foremost, there should be self-regulating organisations among our countries and business associations. Then and only then we will be able to develop viable designs,” said Kubatbek Rakhimov, Executive Director of the Applicata-Centre for Strategic Solutions. He considers bureaucracy and slow “evolutionary” development as the main danger facing the EAEU, which does not take into account the latest changes in the world and the new realities of moving away from globalisation towards new, integrated economic blocs. Rakhimov announced the need to reform the Eurasian Economic Commission with the introduction of the Eurasian commissioner’s institution to resolve cross-sectoral issues and fill gaps not filled by the classical ministerial structures. In addition, according to him, the issue of the Eurasian Development Bank has not been resolved. The EDB should be an element within the EAEU; its interaction with the EEC is necessary.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/eurasian-integration-in-new-realities/

#WiderEurasia #EAEU #Eurasia

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📆 TOMORROW, on April 22, from 13:40 to 16:40 Kaliningrad Time (GMT +2), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold a special session as part of the International Kant Congress, titled “Reason and Progress? History of Civilisations Turned to the Future”. 

📍 The session will be held at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (BFU) (Kaliningrad, Alexander Nevsky St., 14).

The goal of the Valdai session is to examine the present and immediate future through the lens of historical experience. Discussions will centre on issues such as the prospects for contemporary civilizations, trajectories of historical evolution, contemporary values, convergence and divergence between civilizations.

Watch the live broadcast on our website.

Working languages: Russian, English.

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

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⚖️ Immanuel Kant, one of the most influential thinkers in the world, was born three hundred years ago.

Generally, he was perhaps too optimistic, believing that humanity had the potential for a good life. It is interesting, of course, to understand how wisely people approached this potential.

Like us, Kant lived during turbulent times. He witnessed several major wars, such as the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years’ War (which some historians refer to as a World War), several partitions of Poland (with the active participation of Frederick II, a ruler whom Kant admired), and, finally, the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

It is clear that these events forced Kant, as well as many of his contemporaries, to reflect on the reasons behind what was happening, human nature, the factors that determine specific choices, and the ways to make the world a more harmonious place.

The issues of practical life that concerned Kant have not lost their relevance even today. Today, we seek to understand how to regulate human behaviour in a way that minimizes harm to others, if possible, writes Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/chairman-speech/three-hundred-years-of-progress-and-reason/

📍All this and more will be explored in greater detail in Kaliningrad on April 22, when the Valdai Club holds a special session as part of the International Kant Congress. Watch the live broadcast on our website.

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⏰ TODAY from 13:40 to 16:40 Kaliningrad Time (GMT +2), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold a special session as part of the International Kant Congress in Kaliningrad, titled “Reason and Progress? History of Civilisations Turned to the Future”. 

Discussions will centre on issues such as the prospects for contemporary civilizations, trajectories of historical evolution, contemporary values, convergence and divergence between civilizations.

Watch the live broadcast on our website.

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

🗣🗣🗣

🎥 LIVE: from 13:40 to 16:40 Kaliningrad Time (GMT +2), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold a special session as part of the International Kant Congress in Kaliningrad, titled “Reason and Progress? History of Civilisations Turned to the Future”. 

https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239185

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🗣 On April, 22, 2024, the Valdai Discussion Club held a special session as part of the International Kant Congress in Kaliningrad, titled “Reason and Progress? History of Civilisations Turned to the Future”. 

📷 Photo gallery

🎥 If you missed the live broadcast of the discussion, watch the video via this link.

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