People's Diplomacy Through the Prism of Spiritual Culture

On April 20, the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, together with the Institute for Demographic Research (FNISC RAS), held a round table “The Role of Public Diplomacy in Eurasian Integration”, organized as part of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Eurasian Integration in the New Conditions: Features and Prospects”.

The objective of the round table was to expand partnerships for further development of the theme of people-to-people diplomacy. And also, to contribute to the strengthening of integration processes in Eurasia, the construction of new models of cooperation, the expansion of public diplomacy through spiritual culture.

The moderators were:

• POLYAKOVA Irina Ivanovna, Head of the Spiritual Culture Department of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly;
• Victoria LEDENEVA, Chief Researcher of the Institute for Demographic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Committee on Socio-Cultural Adaptation and Integration of Migrants of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, Doctor of Sociology.

Olga Alexandrovna VOLKOVA, Chief Researcher at the Research Department for Social and Demographic Processes in the EAEU, Institute for Population Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, welcomed the participants.

More than 30 participants - representatives of science and religion from Abkhazia, Iran, Mongolia, Syria, and Russian regions - gathered at the public platform of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly in a hybrid format. Experts from the academic scientific community - the participants in the International Conference:

• Olga Leonidovna SYTYKH, Professor of the Department of Social and Youth Policy of Altai State University;
• Boris Leonidovich PANICH, Director of Educational and Social Projects Support and Development Charity Foundation "PSP-Fund";
• RANJBAR Meshkin Danial, PhD student at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (Iran);
• PARFENOVA Daria, student at Southwestern State University.

The practical experience of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly in the implementation of people-to-people diplomacy was presented by:

• ALLAHAM Yaser Seifiddin, Head of the Sustainable Development Department, member of the Greater Eurasia-Africa Committee of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly (Syria);
• DELBA Vladimir Mikhailovich, Russian and Abkhazian prose writer, poet, artist, public figure, member of the Russian literary Union of the International Federation of UNESCO Artists, Co-Chairman of the Literary Council of Writers and Readers of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly (Abkhazia);
• DAMDINSUREN Amarbayasgalan, Director General of the Mongolian community "Eternal Sky" (Mongolia);
• Marina Leonidovna VOLKOVA, Head of the Department of Happiness of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly;
• Valery RUZIN, Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, President of the Eurasian Academy of Television and Radio.

Members of the Arya Sangha Association of Buddhist Communities, members and partners of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly spoke at the discussion, including:

• SUHEIL Farah, PhD, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Nobel Peace Prize nominee for 2019 and 2020 (Russia/Lebanon);
• AGESHIN Yuri Andreevich, Vice President of the International Association "Peace through Culture", member of the Presidium of the World Forum for Spiritual Culture, member of the Council of Elders of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly;
• BUGAEV Alexander Vladimirovich, President of the CRO Association of Buddhist Communities "Arya Sangha", Member of the Constitutive Council of the Foundation for the Support of Buddhist Education and Research;
• Andrey KRASOV, project manager at the CRO Association of Buddhist communities "Arya Sangha", member of the Council of the CRO Association of Buddhist communities "Arya Sangha", co-founder and head of the center of Tibetan Buddhism "House of Bodhichitta Garchen";
• GURKINA Natalia, director and screenwriter of the film and game industry, graduate of the Moscow Film School, laureate of international film festivals;
• POVAZHNAYA Galina Ivanovna, Advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation;
• and others.

The conversation was about the forms of involvement in joint activities, popularization and further development of people's diplomacy through modern mechanisms of cultural, humanitarian, scientific, educational and business cooperation. The round table was also attended by students of the Russian State University for the Humanities, the State University of Management, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, RSSU, South-West State University of Kursk.

As a result of the round table, a number of proposals were made on the formats of possible cooperation, on participation in the events of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly. There was also a working meeting held with members of the Arya Sangha Association of Buddhist Communities.