MGIMO and Sochi Dialogue at Russian-Austrian Youth Forum

MGIMO and Sochi Dialogue at Russian-Austrian Youth Forum

16 September 2019

September 16th, the Russian-Austrian Youth Forum started at MGIMO. During the first two days of the forum, the guests participated in a complex educational program designed by MGIMO and the Sochi Dialogue civil society forum.

One of the main platforms for Russian-Austrian cooperation today is the Sochi Dialogue civil society forum, which aims to create and expand direct contacts between Russian and Austrian citizens. The initiative to create this platform was supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Federal President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen. Another essential channel for developing the bilateral relationship is the Year of Russian-Austrian Youth Exchanges, for which a complex program was developed and in the framework of which the Russian-Austrian Youth Forum is being held.

MGIMO’s Vice-Rector for Social Development Igor Loginov kicked off the educational program with a welcome speech. The Deputy Director of the Sochi Dialogue Secretariat M. Matveeva also greeted the audience and the Coordinator for International Cooperation and External Relations at the Department for Educational Work V. Kovalev moderated the opening session.

The program was divided into three interactive sessions: «Smart cities — how to think critically in the context of global trends», «Russian-Austrian business slalom» and «Art 2.0: a modern approach to cultural heritage». Participants discovered the most promising areas of bilateral cooperation, worked on their «soft skills», and presented their own initiatives and projects. The program is unique in that it is implemented in modern game formats, was designed specifically for this forum and takes into account global trends and the priorities on the bilateral agenda.

September 17th, the forum participants continued their work at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. A solemn opening ceremony unfolded in the morning with the participation of the Head of Rosmolodezh Alexander Bugaev and the Ambassador of Austria to Russia Johannes Aigner. Three panels followed dedicated to «Entrepreneurship and Tourism», «Culture and Art» and «Innovative Developments and Projects». The first panel had for speaker the Dean of the School of International Economic Relations, Oleg Pichkov. The Dean of the School of International Journalism, Yaroslav Skvortsov spoke about the specificities of Austrian-Russian relations in the spheres of culture and art. Among the experts participating in the Innovation Developments and Projects session were the Director of the Center for Digital Economics and Financial Innovations E. Sidorenko and the Advisor to the Director General of «Rosgeologia» V. Demin.

The participants of the Russian-Austrian youth forum will continue their work at different venues in Moscow and St. Petersburg until September 21st.

The MGIMO and Sochi dialogue program for the Russian-Austrian Youth Forum was created by MGIMO together with the Sochi Dialogue Forum Secretariat as part of the strategic cooperation with the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.

— See the MGIMO web-site for russian version