🇷🇺👉🌏 In recent years, the turn to the East, or pivot to Asia, has been one of the most popular topics in the Russian political and media discourse.

Assessments of this process vary: some consider it a long-overdue necessity and a chance for Russia to increase its competitiveness in the 21st century. Others think this project is a product of Moscow policymakers and does not take into account the real needs of Russians residing in the Asian parts of the country.

Asia’s changing role and its importance in terms of Russia's development are recognised and reflected at the highest level. In 2012, in his election article, “’Russia and the Changing World’ Vladimir Putin wrote about catching the “Chinese wind” in the “sails” of the Russian economy. The eternal question of Russian identity, “who are we?” was overshadowed by a new imperative: “to be closer to Asia to be competitive in the 21st century”. As we will see below, this has not put an end to the discussion of identity.

Russia’s turn to the East is built up from two components: the establishment of increasingly deeper and more active relations with the countries of East Asia and the development of the eastern regions of the country during this process, writes Anton Bespalov, valdaiclub.com Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

📌 We will discuss this and other issues within the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum. The Valdai Club session, titled “Global Challenges and Opportunities for the Far East and the Arctic”, will take place on September 2, at 10:00 AM Vladivostok time (GMT+10).

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-s-turn-to-the-east-expectations-and-the-rea/

@valdai_club #EEF2021 #EEF

📆 Tomorrow, on September 2, the Valdai Club will take part in the Eastern Economic Forum for the fifth time.

A session of the Club, titled “Global Challenges and Opportunities for the Far East and the Arctic” will start at 10:00 AM Vladivostok time (GMT+10)/ 3:00 AM Moscow time (GMT+3). The live broadcast of the session will be available on our website.

❓The main goal of the session is to find an answer to the question: what new external factors need to be taken into account at the present stage of development of the Far East and the Arctic region?

👥 The guests of the Valdai session are high-ranking politicians, representatives of big business, and intellectuals specialising in political and economic processes in the Asia-Pacific region.

https://valdaiclub.com/multimedia/video/valdai-club-session-at-the-eef-2021/

#EEF #EEF2021 @valdai_club

📷 © Sputnik/Vitaliy Ankov

🎥 Global warming and economy recovery after Covid make impact on Arctic transport corridor development.

Glenn Diesen, professor at the University of Southeast Norway, who participated at Valdai Club’s session at EEF-2021 said that Russia requires investment in order to engage in large-scale international trade. What other external factors need to be taken into account in development of the Far East and the Arctic regions he shared his views in interview with valdaiclub.com

#EEF #EEF2021 #FarEast #Arctic @valdai_club

🎥 How could the role of the Arctic change as a result of increasing global warming?

European maritime powers initially began to use the Arctic corridor in the 1500s. What Russia is doing now is very much needed, Glenn Diesen, professor at the University of Southeast Norway, who participated in Valdai Сlub's session at EEF-2021, considers. He shares his views on what should be done first and what problems will emerge with melting permafrost in interview with valdaiclub.com.

#EEF #EEF2021 #GlobalWarming #Arctic

🇷🇺➡️🌏 “Russia’s pivot to the East” is now complete.

From the very beginning, ten years ago, it was geared to promote the development of the Far East, a priority for state policy, through the strengthening of trade and economic ties and, at the national level, political relations with Asian countries.

1️⃣ First, this part of Russia is far removed from the nation’s main focal points for foreign policy and priority zones. The international military-political situation in Asia is characterised by a number of basic and private conflicts of interest between individual states. Russia, however, does not participate in these conflicts and has no interest in the contradictions that underscore them. The takeover of the Pacific territories by Russia took place during the period of maximum power of the European empires in the middle and second half of the 19th century. The Sino-Russian territorial dispute was settled at the beginning of this century, and the issue of the Kuril Islands in relations with Japan cannot serve as the basis for a dangerous conflict from the Russian point of view.

2️⃣ Second, Russia has no neighbours in Asia that could pose a threat to its national security. Even taking into account the fact that the main struggle between China and the United States will unfold in this region, there are no systemic factors that could become truly troubling for Moscow. The main such factor is the group of states or their alliance, which puts the weakening of Russia at the centre of their foreign policy. However, in this respect, Europe really occupies a special place, since historically it has created the main stimuli for development for Russia while at the same time generating challenges and threats in the sphere of security.

The main reason why it is possible to speak about the completion of this project is the transition of relations with Asian countries from the category of “new” to “ordinary”, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev summing up the results of Valdai Club’s special session within the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-eastern-economic-forum-and-new-realities/

#EEF #EEF2021