The unifying theme across the forum’s various sections was the opportunities provided by the Russian Federation for receiving residents of other countries.
On December 13, Moscow hosted the closing of the First International Catherine II Forum. The key points formulated by its participants will be incorporated into a resolution outlining the main issues related to realising Russia’s potential as a state offering a new life—one that is open to receiving citizens of various countries and enables highly qualified foreign specialists to fully realise their professional ambitions. This was reported by the press service of the Catherine Forum.
Against the backdrop of the current geopolitical situation, participants drew historical parallels between two documents that influenced Russia’s development: the manifestos of Catherine II “On the Acceptance of the Crimean Peninsula, the Island of Taman, and the Entire Kuban Side under the Russian State” and “On the Invitation of Foreigners to Russia”. In particular, the return of historically Russian lands to the borders of the Russian state prompted a substantive discussion on the experience of Crimea and the priority tasks for integrating the new regions—the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
Aleksey Weitz, a member of the Commission on spiritual, moral, and patriotic upbringing of children and youth of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, noted that integrating new territories into Russia’s cultural, social, and political space is impossible without re-evaluating the nature of the civilisational confrontation taking place in Ukraine.
“Today, we are witnessing a reconfiguration of the world order, where Russia is defining its place in the international community as a peacemaker in the highest sense of the word, as well as a guardian of traditional values and high ideals. We must make every effort to synchronise our vision of the future and understand the mechanisms for achieving it. Furthermore, we must develop a public consensus—a national unanimity—that answers the most crucial question of our time: what is a human being for us today, in an era of total dehumanisation? Russia is now engaging the world in a polylogue, speaking with human about humanity, and through human”, Weitz believes.
The unifying theme for the various sections of the forum was Russia’s opportunities to receive residents of other countries: in the message it is said that people see in the Russian Federation «a saving ark», where they have been kept traditional moral values for centuries and all possible conditions are created for the preservation of national and religious identity of citizens.
The Catherine Forum programme concluded with the plenary session “Russia in the role of a “new ark” for Europe and the entire world”, where the moderators of all nine sections presented the key points from the discussions and summarised their outcomes. The full spectrum of information presented in the thematic sessions will be analysed, synthesised, and form the basis of a resolution to be sent to all forum participants and presented to federal executive and legislative bodies.
“The Catherine Forum was supported by the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, and the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Such representation from state authorities is very important and valuable to us. It indicates that the issues raised at the forum are not only relevant and concern every one of us but are also matters of state, requiring comprehensive examination from all sides—the legislative and executive branches, and, of course, civil society institutions. We are also grateful to all the participants who attended the forum from 35 countries and over 50 regions of the Russian Federation. All of this demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction: the ideas underpinning the forum have resonated with every guest and participant”, remarked Konstantin Matis, a member of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations and head of the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Russian Germans, at the forum’s conclusion.
Another closing event was the awards ceremony for the winners of the 2nd International “Leader of People’s Diplomacy” competition.
The emotional context of the Catherine Forum was captured by Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “I know one should not thank for love, but from the bottom of my heart, I want to do so! Thank you to all of you who have come to our country now, in these winter days, having changed your usual climate and your usual schedules. Thank you to those who have come to us despite the threats, curses, and blackmail that many of you face. Thank you for this sincere, honest, heartfelt love. We will repay you in kind, as we have always done. I truly hope you will carry a piece of our love back to your countries, to your peoples. Here, you are truly receiving not just information, knowledge, or an opportunity to network. You are the bridge through which our love can be carried to your countries, to your continents. Thank you so much for this”!
The organisers of the Catherine Forum were the All-Russian Public-State Organisation “Assembly of Peoples of Russia” and the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Russian Germans, with the support of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, and the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.