On November 6, at the International Symposium “Creating the Future”, a panel discussion “Global South” was held at the site of the National Center “Russia”. The experts discussed the prospects for the influence of the countries of the global South on the formation of harmonious international relations and a just future world order.
Alexander Alimov, Director of the Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, stressed that true diplomacy has a creative character.
“Diplomacy is creative, no matter how difficult it is to talk about it now. This is not a zero-sum game, here I win if you win. This applies both in the humanitarian field and in the economy. This is equality, respect and conversation of sovereign partners without hypocrisy,” Alexander Alimov stressed.
Mikhail Margelov, Head of the UNESCO Chair of Oriental and African Studies: Modern Methods of Study and Teaching at the ISAA of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vice-President of the Russian Council for International Affairs, stressed that moving East, Russia is not closing itself off from Western countries.
“Russia will no longer fit — and there is nothing offensive for our country here — into the world order, where the collective West is the main architect. However, the crisis in relations with the West does not mean its deletion or closure for Russia as a possible partner. And in general, Russia, as a global power, has no right to close its doors from anyone,” Mikhail Margelov said.
Konstantin Kurylev, Head of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at the RUDN, recalled that the principle of multipolarity was historically conditioned.
“The multipolar world order system has existed for a long time and was natural and harmonious, while with the advent of the bipolar system, problems, instability, vulnerability, instability appeared. Therefore, the Global East, unlike the West, is more optimistic about the emerging multipolar model, including relying on its historical memory,” Konstantin Kurylev concluded.
Russia and China are leading among the countries that together solve the issues of building a just world order. Xie Yiping, Professor of the Faculty of History at Yan’an University (China), noted that the recently concluded BRICS summit in Kazan opened up new opportunities for the countries of the South and their integration into the world economy, and also noted the stability of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, despite all the changes in the international arena.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia, China has built them on the principle of equal partnership. And I am glad that these relations are stable, despite all the changes in the international arena. They cover all important areas such as agriculture, science, technology, and innovation. It is also important to note that both countries strive to strengthen the role of BRICS, SCO and other organizations in the world order,” Xie Yiping said.
Boyan Chukov, a consultant at the publishing house Vostok-Zapad, a leading expert on relations between Russia and the EU (Bulgaria), recalled that Western democracy turned out to be undemocratic, to put it mildly, and expressed regret that Europe was sinking into collapse right before his eyes as a European citizen.
“Today we are witnessing a gradual descent into the collapse of the one who imposed world domination on us. As for Europe, the strangest and most amazing thing is that it cannot even fully realize this and protect itself from this danger. This is a real tragedy that I see, and I suffer because it is happening before my eyes. And for me, there is no certainty that it is possible to somehow save Europe from this devastating burden. She is like a rabbit that looks numbly at a boa constrictor and waits for what it will do,” said Boyan Chukov.
The delegate of the National Electoral Council of Ecuador, Medina Gonzales Vinicio Xavier, noted that Latin America, as part of the countries of the Global South, is considered by Russia as a sphere of its strategic interests, and in the updated Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation from 2023, special priority is given to the most friendly countries of the region — Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, and decisions on the inclusion of Bolivia and Cuba is among the BRICS partners and is a factor in expanding Russian-Latin American cooperation.
“In the near future, we can expect that trade cooperation will be the main factor in expanding relations. However, to do this, it is necessary to strengthen intergovernmental dialogue and business contacts between the parties, and this can also be implemented within the framework of horizontal diplomacy,” Medina Gonzales Vinicio Xavier is convinced.
Another representative of the continent, the President of the Center for Integration and Cooperation of Russia and Latin America (Argentina), voiced a number of proposals for cooperation from a Latin American point of view Esteban Luis Perrier. Professor of the Department of Public Administration and Political Science at Istanbul University (Turkey) Kivanc Ulusoy spoke about his understanding of the global South. At the end of the discussion, the experts heard a report by science fiction writer Kirill Benediktov, who, in particular, drew the attention of those present to the need to solve the problems of relations between the states of the global South themselves, as well as actively work on creating a new world economy in order not to be vulnerable to the global West.
The moderator of the discussion was Vitaly Danilov, Director of the Center for Applied Analysis of International Transformations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Historical Sciences.
The international symposium “Creating the Future” takes place from November 4-6. The participants of the event are scientists, researchers, futurists, science fiction writers and government representatives from 101 countries, including Russia, India, Italy, Iran, China, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, the United States and France. The program includes more than 60 sessions in four areas: the future of man, the future of technology, the future of a multipolar world and the future of civilizations. The program and broadcasts of the events are available on the website https://future.russia.ru /.
The International Symposium “Creating the Future” is the first event of the National Center “Russia”, which was established on July 1, 2024 by order of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The center is designed to preserve the legacy of the International Exhibition and Forum “Russia” and demonstrate the achievements of the country and its citizens. Federal authorities, state-owned companies, corporations and regions participate in the work of the center.
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The website of the National Center “Russia” — https://russia.ru/
Website of the Symposium “Creating the Future” — https://future.russia.ru/
