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12 questions to Senator Andrey KLIMOV about the May hearings on security and cooperation in greater Eurasia.

After the publication of the idea of holding international socio-political hearings in Ural Perm on May 28-29, 2025 on the Russian proposal to form a collective, equal system of security and cooperation for the entire Eurasian continent, many specific questions were asked to the coordinator of the Russian parliamentary “Eurasian Dialogue”, a member of the Bureau of the Supreme Council of the United Russia Party, Senator A. Klimov. from his Russian and foreign colleagues, foreign diplomats and journalists. Andrey Arkadyevich himself formed these questions into 12 thematic groups and offered his answers to them.:

QUESTION (1): Who is the author of the idea of forming a collective, equal system of security and cooperation in Greater Eurasia?

answer: This idea was first expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his Annual Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on February 29, 2024. The idea was “to formulate an outline of equal and indivisible security, mutually beneficial, equal cooperation and development on the Eurasian continent in the foreseeable future.” And on June 14 of the same year, the head of the Russian state, speaking at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed this proposal to almost all countries in Europe and Asia.
At the same time, Vladimir Vladimirovich called for a broad discussion of this initiative.
On the anniversary of this initiative, the Russian parliamentary Eurasian Dialogue (founded in 2012, chaired by Konstantin Kosachev), with the support of the International Commission of the United Russia Party (chaired by Sergey Lavrov), a number of other Russian public structures, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Perm Region, is preparing to hold in Perm, near the geographical border of Europe and Asia, and extensive international socio-political hearings on these topics. It is important to note that in 2022 and 2024, Perm, with the support of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has already successfully hosted international forums on inter-civilizational dialogue between European and Asian countries initiated by the Eurasian Dialogue.

QUESTION (2): Are the existing Eurasian associations being taken into account?

answer: Yes. Already in his June (2024) speech, the Russian president named several organizations working in greater Eurasia that could be involved to some extent in the process of forming a collective, equal system of security and cooperation in Greater Eurasia. These include, in particular, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, influential Eurasian associations from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, and, of course, such international organizations as the CIS, the CSTO, the EURASEC, and the Russia-Belarus Union State.

QUESTION (3): Can international structures such as the Council of Europe and the OSCE be used for these purposes?

answer: Unfortunately, in the 21st century, both of these organizations, in our opinion, could not prove their objective and constructive approach to solving urgent and important issues of security and cooperation, even on the scale of geographical Europe. In addition, they are clearly influenced by countries located far from the Eurasian continent. At the same time, we are open to direct contacts on the formation of common approaches to sustainable security and cooperation for the whole of Eurasia on our largest continent on Earth, with an area of about 55 million square kilometers. Over 5 billion people live in hundreds of countries and almost half of the world’s GDP is produced. Thus, all countries located in a vast area from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic and from the Arctic Ocean to the waters of the Indian Ocean have the opportunity to join this work. At the same time, we have proceeded and continue to proceed from the principle of the sovereign equality of all States, non-interference in their internal affairs, and respect for the principle of peaceful coexistence of States with different political systems, as enshrined in the UN Charter.
The latter means that the Russian initiative is not confrontational, does not lead to the creation of certain “defensive alliances” or closed regional blocs, and is not directed against any states either in Eurasia itself or outside it.

QUESTION(4): What is the composition of the participants of the May forum in Perm?

THE ANSWER is the widest. We will be glad to see our fellow parliamentarians from Europe and Asia, as well as representatives of responsible political parties from across Eurasia. Of course, significant non-governmental organizations and reputable experts will take part in the Perm hearings. We are also waiting for representatives of the business community. The hearings themselves are open, so the participation of journalists is welcome. In total, we expect about one hundred foreign participants and about the same number of Russian participants. Thus, taking into account the three sectional discussions (political and legal issues of ensuring security in Eurasia, cooperation in the financial, economic and humanitarian spheres), as well as the plenary discussion, the majority of those who came to Perm for the forum can personally participate. Previously, citizens from several dozen European and Asian countries, from the largest to the smallest, will take part in the May events. There are preliminary applications, including from countries within the European Union. We also expect diplomats from friendly countries to participate as guests of the Perm events.

QUESTION (5): Is it possible to present specific initiatives regarding the formation of a system of security and cooperation in Greater Eurasia at the Perm hearings? Are the final documents of the Hearings planned?

answer: Yes. That’s what the hearings are for. We want to accumulate all constructive ideas for their subsequent analysis and possible consideration in future work. It is important for the organizers of the Perm meeting to hold our discussions in a friendly atmosphere. It is important to exchange views in such a way that in the foreseeable future we can come up with concrete, acceptable to all, realistic proposals that could guarantee the whole of Eurasia a lasting and just peace, mutually beneficial cooperation and, as a result, the sustainable development of all countries and peoples of our vast Eurasian space. It is not easy to do this, but it is possible and necessary.

QUESTION (6): Is the Perm event a parliamentary, party event, or is it an expert forum?

ANSWER: We would like to hold the May hearings in Perm in the widest possible format. That is why responsible political parties of Greater Eurasia, members of parliaments of Asian and European countries, experts, and business representatives can participate in the discussion on equal terms. From the Russian side, senators, deputies of the State Duma of Russia, regional parliamentarians, as well as representatives of parliamentary parties of our country, large All-Russian non-governmental organizations, representatives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, major domestic universities, etc. will participate in the preparation and conduct of the hearings. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides us with maximum support in this work.

QUESTION (7): Is there visa support for participation in the Perm hearings?

answer: Since the event itself is being prepared in close cooperation with the Russian Foreign Ministry, all visa issues will be resolved promptly, taking into account each specific situation. We are also ready to provide organizational support to those who are going to fly to Perm via Moscow. At the same time, the sooner the relevant application is received, the better.

QUESTION(8): How to get to Perm?

answer: Perm is a major transportation hub in the center of the Urals. The easiest way to get there is by air. It takes no more than 2 hours from Moscow, and flights are operated daily by several major airlines. Perm can be reached from Moscow by train or car, but it can take from 20 to 24 hours. You can also easily reach Perm from Yekaterinburg, located in the east of the Ural Mountains (360 km on the highway). The distance from Kazan will be just over 500 km. From both cities you can get to Perm by comfortable trains. There are many other possibilities. Our experts will tell you the best option for traveling to Perm from anywhere in Eurasia.

QUESTION (9): How do I become a participant in the Perm hearings? Do I need media accreditation?

answer: A significant number of potential participants in the Perm hearings and related events have already received the necessary information from their organizers. In the near future, relevant official invitations will be sent to most of the participants through the Russian Parliamentary Eurasian Dialogue, the International Commission of the United Russia Party, or our partners in holding the Hearings.
All other individuals and organizations can declare their desire to participate in the Perm Forum by sending an application in electronic form to:eurasiaperm2025@mail.ru.

After receiving the application, you will be contacted, and the issue of your participation in the event will be considered as soon as possible. At the same time, the organizers ask you to keep in mind that our opportunities to expand the number of participants are objectively limited. Therefore, we recommend that you start solving this issue as early as possible.
The same applies to the accreditation of journalists.

QUESTION(10): Are any monetary contributions required from the participants?

THE ANSWER IS no. The Perm hearings are non-commercial in nature and are sponsored by its organizers. More detailed information about the costs of participating in the Perm hearings can be obtained from the organizers individually.

QUESTION (11): Is it possible to participate in the hearings as an observer, without public speaking, press conferences and participation in making certain collective decisions?

answer: Yes. But it is best to discuss the parameters of the participation of specific persons before the start of the hearings themselves, even during the application process, or at the stage of accepting an invitation from the organizers.

QUESTION (12): Is there any intention to make the Perm format of the Eurasian discussions permanent?

answer: If the May events show their effectiveness and arouse the interest of the participants in the hearings, then we are ready to consider making the Perm meetings on security and cooperation in Greater Eurasia regular. However, we are not currently addressing this issue in a practical way. Time will tell!

The second international conference “Europe-Asia: Dialogue of Civilizations” was successfully held in Perm on May 23-24. Public and political figures, diplomats and experts from many countries from various regions of the Eurasian continent took part in its work in full-time and part-time formats.

Developing the traditions laid down by the first (2022) conference, the participants of the new May meetings in Perm focused their attention on the peculiarities of intercultural and interethnic dialogue between countries belonging to different civilizations in the 21st century.

Many participants emphasized, on the one hand, the importance of factors related to the development of information and communication technologies, the rapid development of which directly led to the creation of so-called artificial intelligence, and on the other hand, that the insistence of some States belonging mainly to Western civilization could lead to the diversity of humanity, existing political systems, cultural traditions, historical national features belong to one supposedly universal denominator, which, upon closer examination, is nothing else., as a continuation of the old, colonial, imperial traditions. Genuine international security is impossible without an equal and respectful dialogue between countries and peoples.

In this regard, almost all participants in the discussion emphasized the special importance of preserving the sovereign equality of States in a rapidly changing world, strengthening the principles of non-interference in internal affairs, and mutually respectful cooperation, including in the humanitarian sphere, education, science, culture, tourism, and sports. During the discussion, in particular, it was proposed to elaborate on such issues as:

inclusion in the BRICS format of a broad exchange of views on issues related to the preservation and development of generally accepted spiritual and moral values;

• inclusion in the BRICS format of a broad exchange of views on issues related to the preservation and development of generally accepted spiritual and moral values;
• the possibility of forming a permanent communication center on the site of the Perm intercivilizational dialogue at the geographical border of Europe and Asia.

The foreign participants of the conference emphasized the important role of the original Russian civilization in the process of developing world science and culture, preserving and multiplying the traditions of the peoples living in Russia.

The organizers of the conference, represented by the Russian parliamentary Eurasian Dialogue and the Commission of the General Council of the United Russia Party for International Cooperation and Support of Compatriots Abroad, as well as its participants, express their gratitude to the Governor of the Perm Territory, D.N. Makhonin, the Government of the Perm Territory and its residents for their assistance in preparing and holding the event.

“EUROPE-ASIA: DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS” – PERM DECLARATION

(The Final Document in English)

On May 26-27, 2022 in the mountains. Perm, at the geographical border of Europe and Asia, the international conference “Europe-Asia: Dialogue of Civilizations” was held. It was held on the initiative of the Russian parliamentary “Eurasian Dialogue” with the support of the Perm Region and the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A total of more than one hundred people from 20 European and Asian countries took part in this event in full-time and part-time (in video communication format) forms.

Welcoming the organizers and guests of the first Perm International Conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that “the well-being of the future of all mankind is directly linked to the establishment of a mutually respectful partnership between representatives of different civilizations, cultures, and faiths.” This thesis was fully shared in the speeches at the plenary session by the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India, China, and Syria, representing the oldest civilizations of Eurasia that have existed for many decades.

Participants from Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Serbia, France and a number of other European countries, as well as their colleagues from the Middle East, Central and East Asia, and the ASEAN countries, emphasized the crucial role of Russia and the entire Russian world in the development of European civilization. They emphasized the exceptional contribution of the multinational Russian people to the victory over fascism in the 20th century and the struggle of the Russian Federation against any manifestations of Nazism, neo-Nazism, racism, and neo-colonialism in the new 21st century.

The Conference condemned any manifestations of Russophobia and barbaric actions recently carried out in a number of NATO member countries against Russian citizens, Russian culture, representatives of Russian science, education, art, and sports, undertaken by the “collective West” and its satellites. At the same time, Moscow’s special contribution to the formation and development of integration processes in the vast expanses of the Eurasian continent was noted.    

In their speeches, the forum participants shared the idea expressed by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on May 26, 2022, that the great Eurasian partnership would become a center that would interest many.    

Russian senators and deputies of the State Duma, diplomats and experts from the states of the Eurasian continent considered a number of topical and important issues necessary for establishing and developing broad, respectful and equal interaction between representatives of different cultures, ideological and religious views, national traditions, and political systems during the plenary sessions and panel discussions.

In particular, such important topics as the political and spiritual aspects of the broad Eurasian dialogue were touched upon. The results of the five festival marathons “From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean”, which took place from 2014 to 2021 on the initiative of the Eurasian Dialogue with the participation of UNESCO, were separately summarized, each of which was a good platform for communication between representatives of the most diverse civilizations of Europe and Asia.

The issues of preserving the intangible cultural heritage were particularly discussed at the forum. In this regard, the importance of events held within the framework of the year 2022 declared by the President of the Russian Federation – the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia was noted.  

A briefing for political parties, public organizations and journalists from Greater Eurasia was held in the format of a video conference with the participation of members of the leadership of the relevant commissions of the General Council of the All-Russian Political Party United Russia. The importance of uniting international efforts, including on the inter-party line, in the interests of protecting traditional spiritual, cultural and family values in order to create an appropriate international alliance was noted.

Bilateral and multilateral consultations of its participants and guests took place on the sidelines of the Perm Forum. The key events of the Conference were broadcast on the Internet and actively covered by Russian and foreign media.

The participants of the Perm Conference drew attention to the fact that lasting peace and security are impossible without respect for the principles of peaceful coexistence of States with different political systems, indivisibility of security, non-interference in the sovereign affairs of States, and equal and mutually beneficial cooperation. It was noted that any attempts by anyone to declare themselves the indisputable and sole leader, the hegemon, to impose their own rules and values on others are counterproductive.

The Perm Conference revealed significant potential and a broad base of support for approaches that make it possible to come to solutions that take into account the diversity of opinions as much as possible, even on the most complex issues.

The participants recommended continuing the work that has been started, including within the framework of the sixth international festival marathon scheduled for 2023, which is proposed to be held according to the SCO+ formula, involving key Asian countries more widely in its preparation and holding, which have undoubtedly contributed to world civilization for thousands of years. There was also unanimous support for the proposal to hold the Perm Conference on Inter-Civilizational Dialogue within Greater Eurasia every two years and to assign the functions of its permanent secretariat to the Russian parliamentary Eurasian Dialogue, the tenth anniversary of which was also widely celebrated in May 2022.

The organizers, participants and guests of the international conference expressed their gratitude to the Governor of the Perm Territory, D. Makhonin, the regional government, and the residents of Perm for their assistance in its preparation and successful holding.

Over the millennia, the Eurasian continent has become the birthplace of almost all terrestrial civilizations. Many of them have long since sunk into oblivion, but in the 21st century, Greater Eurasia is a common home for a number of civilizations that have developed over the past centuries. It is obvious that the development of vehicles, communication technologies, the interdependence of trade and economic ties and many other processes, which are often referred to as globalization, noticeably blur the historical civilizational boundaries of the peoples of our continent, but these processes are far from uniform and not always unambiguous.

An analysis of long-standing conflict zones in the space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean allows us to see signs of what some experts prefer to call a “clash of civilizations.” At the same time, it is noted that each such conflict can be resolved or significantly weakened through a respectful, equal inter-civilizational dialogue. Conversely, a potentially contentious situation can, alas, be quickly transferred to a phase of irreconcilable protracted confrontation.
The first of these approaches, for all its objective difficulties, usually has more visible advantages than disadvantages. A nominal approach of this kind fits into the principles of peaceful coexistence of states with different political systems, indivisibility of security (when the security of some countries should not be ensured at the expense of the security of others), non-interference from outside in the sovereign affairs of states, etc.

At the same time, such approaches are noteworthy that would help create a kind of symphony of cultures of all peoples originally living on the expanses of the Eurasian continent in the broadest sense of the word culture.

It is obvious that the inter-civilizational dialogue is multifaceted. It involves not only discussing issues of language, culture, art, and religious topics. There are features of interaction between states with different political, economic, technological structures, ethnic composition, historical traditions, etc. These features should be taken into account in one way or another within the framework of a constructive dialogue of civilizations, which does not involve boss–subordinate or teacher-student interaction. Moreover, it cannot and should not be about fitting everyone to a certain standard, established once and for all, and even in a one-sided and indisputable form.
The international conference in Perm is designed to provide an overview of existing approaches to inter-civilizational dialogue, taking into account the circumstances of a dynamically changing world, in the framework of plenary sessions, as well as sectional discussions.:

• “Spiritual aspects of the Eurasian dialogue”;
• “Dialogue of Civilizations: a political dimension”;
• “Preservation of intangible heritage in the 21st century: modern challenges”;
• “Lessons from the festival marathons “From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean” 2014-2021″.

The latter topic relates to the long-term project of the Russian parliamentary “Eurasian Dialogue”, which is a series of international cultural events, usually held every two years under the auspices of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, with the assistance of the Russian Foreign Ministry, our foreign colleagues, including UNESCO.

The Perm Conference was planned and is being held without reference to specific current international events. Its organizers pay attention to the socio-cultural nature of the proposed discussion without unnecessarily politicizing certain aspects of the issues under discussion, since the latter requires the conduct of separate focused discussions with the participation of relevant experts and materials.

The program of the event.

An international virtual round table was held at the Pobeda Museum and Memorial Complex in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk as part of the opening of the Sakhalin stage of the Festival Marathon.

This time, the Eurasian Dialogue managed to cover 13 countries on three continents at once. The participants of the round table were able to present their reports and exchange views.

On May 21, World Cultural Diversity Day, the international conference “Russian Culture and European Civilization” was successfully launched in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, which precedes the World Conference on Interreligious and Interethnic Dialogue scheduled by the United Nations for May 21, 2022 in the Russian Federation. The conference participants were in more than 25 countries around the world.

The international conference “Preservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites: International and Regional Dimensions” was held at the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Center for Science and Culture. The conference was attended by permanent representatives of the countries to UNESCO (Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan), the Director General of ICOMOS (International Council for the Conservation of Monuments and Sites), observers from UNESCO and other representative organizations.

On April 14, an international Internet conference was held at the site of the Russian House in Nicosia. Participants from Great Britain, Spain, Egypt, Bulgaria, Greece and other countries took part in the discussion via a video conference.

On the initiative of the Eurasian Dialogue, an international conference on food security in the Asia-Pacific region was held in Vladivostok on June 24, 2016 at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU).

The conference was devoted to the analysis of the existing situation in various aspects of food security in the Asia-Pacific region (mainly in its Western part) and the prospects for its sustainable development in the future, as well as Russia’s contribution to this process. The conference organizers presented to the participants the opportunities of the Far East and Siberia in terms of investment attractiveness in the field of agriculture and food production.

The Conference program included the holding of plenary sessions, panel discussions, round tables, and the organization of bilateral meetings to strengthen mutual understanding, find useful contacts and fresh ideas. The official language is English.

Representatives of relevant ministries of the Russian Federation, regional authorities, international organizations, business representatives, experts from China, Japan, South and North Korea, ASEAN countries, Australia, New Zealand, etc. took part – about 200 participants in total.

Russian Russian Language and Culture University Center in Mons hosted a marathon meeting with students studying Russian on June 6. The kind-hearted atmosphere encouraged lively communication, the audience listened with interest to the performances of the Marathon participants and asked a lot of questions on various topics.

The Marathon program in Mons was continued by the presentation of the Festival Marathon for officials and residents of the city. Also on this day, a meeting was held with representatives of the organizing committee of Mons — the Cultural Capital of Europe 2015