📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On July 21 at 12:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host a discussion on the topic “National Identity as a Form of Geopolitical Struggle”.

The problem of national identity is of key importance for each state against the backdrop of cardinal changes in the world. It includes values shared by society, a sense of national pride, as well as historical memory. The process of identity formation runs up in part against the civic passivity of people, against the phenomenon of a “post-heroic” society, to which developed countries have become accustomed over the previous decades. The civic activism of individual social forces and persons amid the context of general relative passivity is a phenomenon that requires attention and study. It can carry risks, and ignoring them may endanger stability.

❓How is the process of shaping national identity proceeding in Russia?
❓How similar is our experience to the experience of other countries, are there any suitable examples in the past?
❓What political and social practices of other countries should Russia use, and what should it avoid?
❓Is there an ideal model for building a national identity that is worth striving for?

Participants in the discussion will try to answer all these questions.

Miša Đurković, a famous Serbian political philosopher, Director of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade, and author of the books “Dark Corridors of Power” and “The Illusion of the European Union” will be the foreign guest of the discussion.

🎙 Speakers:

🇷🇺 Oleg Bondarenko, Director of the Progressive Policy Foundation, Editor-in-Chief of The Balkanist Project

🇷🇸 Miša Đurković, Director of the Institute for European Studies (Serbia)

Moderator:

🚩 Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club

https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-discuss-national-identity/

Working languages: Russian, English.

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, Twitter, Telegram and Dzen.

#Norms_and_Values #values #geopolitics

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🇷🇺🇮🇷 From July 10 to 12, at the invitation of the Valdai Club’s partner organization, the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), the Club’s delegation visited Tehran as part of regular dialogue. There it took part in a number of events dedicated to the development of partnerships with the Iranian colleagues.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/valdai-club-delegation-visits-iran-to-develop-partnership-dialogue/

#valdaiclub #Iran

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📌 #AfricanValdai: Programme of the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”

📍Saint Petersburg, July 25, 2023

📆 July 25, Tuesday

10:00–10:15 — Opening of the Conference (live broadcast: in Russian, in English, in French)

10:15–11:45 — Session 1. Political Dialogue of Russia and African Countries: Mutual Understanding in a Turbulent World (live broadcast: in Russian, in English, in French)

What are the main goals and objectives of the political dialogue between Russia and African countries in modern conditions? How effectively did cooperation develop after the first Russia-Africa summit? What has not been achieved and how to improve the effectiveness of the political dialogue? How significant for the Russia-Africa political dialogue are the value factor and solidarity in the struggle against neo-colonialism, for global equality and justice in world development?

12:15–13:45 — Session 2. Economic Relations: Three Years’ Audit After the First Russia-Africa Summit

What are the results of implementation of the agreements achieved at the first Russia-Africa summit, including at the bilateral level? What has been implemented and what has not? What are the reasons for the shortcomings? What needs to be done to improve the effectiveness of Russian-African economic cooperation? What makes economic cooperation with Russia attractive for African countries? What are Russia’s comparative advantages in the context of parallel tracks of cooperation, such as China-Africa, Turkey-Africa, USA-Africa, and others?

14:45–16:15 — Session 3. Culture, Education and Human Dimension: How to Bring Russia and Africa Closer to Each Other?

What is the potential for cooperation between Russia and African countries in the humanitarian sphere? What needs to be done to improve the effectiveness of contacts between people and societies in our countries? What is needed to promote Russia's image in African countries? What are the tasks and problems in teaching African students in Russia? What are the concerns of African diasporas in Russia?

16:30–18:30 — Session 4. The Soviet Legacy in Africa: From the Past Into the Future (live broadcast: in Russian, in English, in French)

How significant is the Soviet legacy for cooperation with African countries today? Is the ideological and value potential of the Soviet struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism preserved in modern conditions? What needs to be done by Russia and in what way does it fall short on the efficient use of the Soviet potential for cooperation with Africa? What do African alumni of Soviet and Russian universities expect from Russia?

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/programme-of-the-african-conference/

ℹ️ Information for the media: Dear journalists, in order to be accredited to the event, please fill out the form on our web site. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763. Accreditation will end on July 24 at 17:00 Moscow time (GMT+3).

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

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 The development of economic relations between Russia and China is becoming increasingly important for both countries.

Since the end of 2022, China has been Russia’s leading trading partner. Trade between Russia and China rose to $190.27 billion in 2022, a 29.3% rise.

In 2021, the trade turnover between Russia and China amounted to $146.887 billion, which is 35.8% more than in 2020.

An important factor that will contribute to the increase in trade between Russia and China is the improvement of the system of mutual settlements in national currencies.

In this regard, the further large-scale rejection of the dollar and the euro in favour of national currencies in mutual settlements, the simplification of banking and commodity settlements between countries, and the development of the digital rouble and digital yuan will contribute to a further systematic increase in trade flows, writes Anastasia Stepanova.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/trade-between-russia-and-china-factors-and-limits/

#EconomicStatecraft #China #economy #trade

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🇷🇺🌍 Pillars and Roadmaps of Russian-African Relations

On July 18, the Valdai Club hosted a presentation of the report “Russia and Africa: An Audit of Relations,” prepared specifically for the African Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, which will be held on July 25 in St. Petersburg. The event was moderated by Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

💬 Nathalia Zaiser, Chair of the Board of the African Business Initiative Union, raised the question of the “point of no return”, beyond which Russian-African relations will acquire exceptionally positive dynamics in all areas. She considers it necessary to build a long-term Russian-African strategy that includes “road maps” for each of the areas.

💬 Roger Tsafack Nanfosso, Rector of the University of Dschang (Cameroon), identified the five “pillars” on which these relationships are based. In his opinion, these are long-term historical ties, political interaction (including mutual support in the UN), mutually beneficial economic contacts, scientific and educational cooperation, as well as cooperation in the field of security. This security cooperation extends beyond the military to include things like energy security.

💬 Elena Kharitonova, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Civilizational and Regional Studies of Institute for African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Soviet assistance to Africa and the lack of past Russian colonial ambitions in the continent are seen as a strength of Russia in its interaction with Africa. She believes that issues of social justice and strategic partnerships are important for Africa at the moment. This image of the future, she said, is now in principle supported by the world’s majority.

💬 Israel Nyaburi Nyadera, Lecturer at Edgerton University (Kenya), discussed the issue of Russian-African educational cooperation. In his opinion, the future belongs to the knowledge economy; therefore, universities today play a special role in shaping ties both between different regions and between different countries. The development of academic mobility and the strengthening of academic contacts with Russia, including the attraction of Russian teachers to Africa, could help, he argues.

💬 Lora Chkoniya, Research Fellow at the Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies, IMI MGIMO, MFA of Russia, compared the work within the framework of the Russia-Africa summits with similar forms of cooperation with Africa of other countries and regions, highlighting a number of best practices that make sense to observe more closely. In particular, she spoke of mechanisms for tracking interaction between summits at different levels, developed in the context of China-Africa cooperation and allowing better preparation for the summits.

💬 Dmitry Poletaev, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of Migration Research Centre, spoke about African diasporas in Russia and migration issues. He believes that the migration flow from Africa to Russia will increase with the growth of the population on the continent.

💬 Rasigan Maharajh, Director Genera of the Institute for Economic Research in Innovation at Tswane Technical University (South Africa), raised issues of scientific cooperation, calling for special attention to be paid to the development of the creative potential of the African continent.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/pillars-and-roadmaps-of-russian-african-relations/

#AfricanValdai #valdai_report #Africa

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⏰ TODAY at 12:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host a discussion on the topic “National Identity as a Form of Geopolitical Struggle”.

❓How is the process of shaping national identity proceeding in Russia?
❓How similar is our experience to the experience of other countries, are there any suitable examples in the past?
❓What political and social practices of other countries should Russia use, and what should it avoid?
❓Is there an ideal model for building a national identity that is worth striving for?

Participants in the discussion will try to answer all these questions.

Miša Đurković, a famous Serbian political philosopher, Director of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade, and author of the books “Dark Corridors of Power” and “The Illusion of the European Union” will be the foreign guest of the discussion.

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

#Norms_and_Values #values #geopolitics

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UPD: The livestream is over. The video of the discussion is available via the same link. Stay tuned!

🎥 LIVE: at 12:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host a discussion on the topic “National Identity as a Form of Geopolitical Struggle”.

https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239109

#Norms_and_Values #values #geopolitics

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📷 On July 21, 2023, the Valdai Club hosted a discussion on the topic “National Identity as a Form of Geopolitical Struggle”.

Photo gallery of the discussion is available in this album.

The video of the discussion is available via this link.

Stay tuned!

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🌍 Africa, the Global South and the world need a sustainable and peaceful end to the conflict in Ukraine.

The process has begun, and with others such as by China and Brazil among others, hope is possible.

The African effort at negotiating for peace between the parties is not only a laudable one but one that holds significant merit not only for Africa but for the Global South and the globe generally. Much will be gained from this peace effort.

Together with other initiatives such as by Brazil, China and others, progress can and will be gained, especially if actors take heed of the cries of many global peoples calling for peace and development. 

The African effort at negotiating for peace between the parties is not only a laudable one but one that holds significant merit not only for Africa but for the Global South and the globe generally, writes Mikatekiso Kubayi.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/africa-as-a-motive-force-for-peace/

📍 On July 25, 2023, St. Petersburg will host the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Club, titled “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”.

📌 Programme of the Conference

#ModernDiplomacy #Africa

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🪩 National and Quasi-National Identity in the Era of Metamodern

On July 21, the Valdai Discussion Club hosted a discussion titled “National Identity as a Form of Geopolitical Struggle”. 

💬 Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Club, who moderated the discussion, invited the participants to discuss the processes of shaping national identity and the possibility of its formatting, as well as the role of society in these processes and the risks associated with them.

💬 Miša Đurković, Director of the Institute for European Studies (Serbia), author of the books “Dark Corridors of Power” and “The Illusion of the European Union”, postulated that we live in a time of unstable identity ideology based on the fact that nothing is permanent, either at the personal or at the national level. Such ideology is in the interests of transnational corporations. The great powers also use this constructivist ideology to their benefit, creating regional and quasi-national identities to counter the geopolitical interests of other states and to change political reality. Đurković considers the actions of the West in Ukraine and a number of historical moments associated with the formation of Croatian, Montenegrin, Bosnian and Albanian identities and with the reform of the Serbian language carried out in the 19th century by the linguist Vuk Karadžić as characteristic examples of such identity construction.

💬 Oleg Bondarenko, Director of the Progressive Policy Foundation, Editor-in-Chief of The Balkanist project, noted that nowadays people of the world, in a sense, live “in different orbits” and therefore different things can be named “national identity” in different regions of the world. At present, in his opinion, it makes more sense to talk about national identity, which has become a political tool of various major geopolitical actors, in terms of “metamodern”, and not in the academic terms of the last century. Speaking of modern Europe, he noted that, despite the proclaimed transhumanist values, it continues to live in the old paradigm of nation-states and its countries actively resist the attempts of their regions to “exercise sovereignty”. This is what prevents Europe from becoming a major geopolitical actor and makes it vulnerable, for example, to the American policy of “divide and conquer”.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/national-and-quasi-national-identity-in-the-era-of-metamodern/

#Norms_and_Values #values #geopolitics

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📆 On Tuesday,July 25, 2023, St. Petersburg will host the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Club, titled “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”.

🌐 More than 60 people from 12 countries have been invited to participate in the Valdai Club’s first African Conference, including guests from Algeria, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Ruanda, Russia and South Africa.

In the new geopolitical conditions, Africa is becoming one of priorities of the Russian foreign policy. The Russian-African conference is aimed at holding a frank conversation about how Russian and African experts see the future development of the world, Russia’s position on the African continent, how the parties can interact in new economic, political and social conditions, and how to take relations to a new level, strengthening the traditional political solidarity.

The Valdai Club Conference will actually become the final synchronisation of watches at the expert level in the run-up to the Russia-Africa Summit.

📌 Programme of the Conference

#AfricanValdai #RussiaAfrica

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🌍 In the past few years – which is the blink of an eye historically – Africa has started taking on increasingly important roles on the world stage.

It’s as if a huge continent surfaced in the modern political ocean, as if the lost city of Atlantis had returned.

Now Africa, with all its complexity, is acquiring its own agency. Moreover, this agency exists at the global level. It is enough to mention the attempt by some African countries to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. 

The African nations had their own views on the world around them, that they could and would definitely play their own considerable role in the development of a new system of international relations. It was also clear – and this is no less important – that the enormous African continent was becoming a testing ground for the formation of a new global system.

The continent has speeded up its movement. There is every reason to believe that Africa will become one of the leading forces, one of the dominant forces for global development if only because of its enormous human and natural resources.

Of course, all forecasts are probabilistic. But it gives us a reason to speak about the future. This is what will happen in St Petersburg on July 25 at the Valdai Club Russia-Africa conference “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”, writes Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/chairman-speech/rising-out-of-the-ocean/

#AfricanValdai #RussiaAfrica #Africa

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🇷🇺🌍 What African strategy for Russia?

Russia’s current heightened interest in Africa does not come out of nowhere. This was the case in 2019, and even more so.

Over the past two years, many global summits and ministerial meetings have been held involving the continent, including US-Africa, EU-Africa, China-Africa, Turkey-Africa, and Japan-Africa. At each of them, large-scale economic and civil projects were offered to the countries of the continent. Naturally, experience shows that not everything that was announced at the summits is being implemented. This is also discussed in detail in our report.

We see a real increase in global competition for Africa, a kind of ‘race of billions’ in cooperation programmes with it. This, by the way, gives the African countries themselves the opportunity to choose, writes Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/what-african-strategy-for-russia/

📍 On July 25, 2023, St. Petersburg will host the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Club, titled “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”.

ℹ️ Dear journalists! Accreditation will end on July 24 at 17:00 Moscow time (GMT+3).

📌 Programme of the Conference

#Norms_and_Values #AfricanValdai #Africa #RussiaAfricaSummit

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🇷🇺🌍 Political relations between Russia and Africa are characterised by a high level of understanding and frequent contacts. However, the full potential of their trade and economic ties has yet to be tapped. 

The Memorandum signed by Russia and the UN in July 2022 (as part of the so-called “grain deal”) created a new framework for developing Russia-Africa cooperation. It unites, as it were, the political and economic aspects of this cooperation, but African countries remain its partyonly indirectly, as members of the UN.

Africa (with all the usual caveats about its diversity) sees Russia as primarily a promising trade partner and a guarantor of its food and energy security) and, generally a long-term reliable partner for development.

At a new stage, after Russia’s withdrawal from the “Black Sea Grain Initiative”, it is necessary to attach greater importance to the preservation and expansion of humanitarian exports from Russia in the Russia-Africa format and on a bilateral basis, Andrey Maslov and Vsevolod Sviridov write.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/humanitarian-exports-are-russia-s-main-interest-in-africa

📍 On July 25, 2023, St. Petersburg will host the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Club, titled “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”.

📌 Programme of the Conference

#Asia_and_Eurasia #Africa

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📆 TOMORROW, July 25, 2023, St. Petersburg will host the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Club, titled “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World”.

The conference agenda includes four sessions, each followed by media scrum:

🔹 Political dialogue between Russia and African countries: mutual understanding in a turbulent world;
🔹 Economic relations: an audit three years after the first Russia-Africa summit;
🔹 Culture, education, human connections: how to bring Russia and Africa closer to each other;
🔹 Soviet legacy in Africa: from the past to the future and general discussion.

🌐 More than 60 people from 12 countries have been invited to participate in the Valdai Club’s first African Conference, including guests from Algeria, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Ruanda, Russia and South Africa.

Links to the live broadcasts of the open sessions in English, French and Russian will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, Twitter, Telegram and Dzen.

📌 Programme of the Conference

#AfricanValdai #RussiaAfrica

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🇲🇿🇷🇺 Africans in general compare Russia to China, i.e., a partner focused on the so-called extractive economy.

It takes everything raw, wins money, transforms nothing, and pays bribes to keep business. There is no consistent Russian presence in general, for instance among the final consumer goods and services segment.

What could be done? Perhaps a more assiduous participation in African commercial, agricultural and technology fairs to make themselves known to the local business community, who mostly prefer to relate to the European Union, as they studied there and/or have their savings/credit lines in banks in Europe and the USA.

In response to the Valdai Club report “Russia and Africa: An Audit of Relations” released in the run-up to the Club’s African Conference, Ricardo Santos from Mozambique discusses shortcomings in the interaction between Russia and the African countries and identifies ways to overcome them.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-and-africa-discerning-details/

📌 Programme of the Conference

#AfricanValdai #RussiaAfricaSummit #Mozambique

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🗣 Good morning! Today at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time the Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club “Russia and African Countries: Established Traditions of Interaction and Prospects for Cooperation in a New World” will start.

The Valdai Club Conference will actually become the final synchronisation of watches at the expert level in the run-up to the Russia-Africa Summit.

10:00–10:15 — Opening of the Conference (live broadcast: in Russian, in English, in French)

10:15–11:45 — Session 1. Political Dialogue of Russia and African Countries: Mutual Understanding in a Turbulent World (live broadcast: in Russian, in English, in French)

12:15–13:45 — Session 2. Economic Relations: Three Years’ Audit After the First Russia-Africa Summit

14:45–16:15 — Session 3. Culture, Education and Human Dimension: How to Bring Russia and Africa Closer to Each Other?

16:30–18:30 — Session 4. The Soviet Legacy in Africa: From the Past Into the Future (live broadcast: in Russian, in English, in French)

📌 Programme of the Conference

Links to the live broadcasts of the open sessions in English, French and Russian will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, Twitter, Telegram and Dzen.

#AfricanValdai #valdai_programme #RussiaAfricaSummit

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UPD: The livestream is over. The video of the discussion is available via the same link. Stay tuned!

🎥 LIVE: Opening of the Russian-African Conference and the first session “Political Dialogue of Russia and African Countries: Mutual Understanding in a Turbulent World.”

🇬🇧 In English

🇫🇷 In French

🇷🇺 In Russian

📌 Programme of the Conference

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