As part of the III Congress of the International Council of World Youth Festival Directorate, a meeting took place between Daniil Bisslinger, Advisor on International Affairs to the Head of Rosmolodezh and Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate, and Heads of the National Committees of the World Youth Festival Directorate in Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain.

The meeting was held on the second day of the Congress. The participants presented their ideas on the development of Russian-Arab youth cooperation.

“Establishing cooperation with our foreign partners and exploring new formats of interaction is the main goal of the Congress. This is why, as part of this event, we hold meetings with representatives of different countries and discuss ideas for developing international youth cooperation. Thanks to the open dialogue, we understand that foreign youth not only want to cooperate, but they are ready to do it. Representatives of 17 Arab countries participated in the Congress. Together with them, we discussed opportunities for developing our intercultural exchange and Russian-Arab youth movement, setting the direction for our joint work”, said Daniil Bisslinger.

He also noted that National Committees of the World Youth Festival Directorate would serve as a basis for the establishment of the international youth community in foreign countries.

“We are really happy to develop our cooperation. First of all, we would like to open a Russian House in Kuwait, where our youth could learn the Russian language and discover more about Russia and its culture. We would also like to develop academic exchanges between our countries. We would be happy to welcome Russian students to our universities and teach them the Arabic language and culture. Such exchanges will only strengthen cooperation between our countries”, shared Fanis al-Ajmi, Head of the National Committee of Kuwait.

Jawaher Khamis Sayeed Rashid Al-Shukaili, Head of the National Committee of Oman, proposed the idea of creating a Russian Culture Center in the states of the Persian Gulf.

“We are talking about the need to create such a Center not only in Oman but throughout the Gulf states. This Center would promote cultural exchange between our countries by offering lectures, seminars, Russian language courses, and art exhibitions. This would further strengthen the friendship between our countries and develop student exchanges”, said Jawaher Khamis Sayeed Rashid Al-Shukaili.

Urwa Tariq, Head of the National Committee of the UAE, emphasized the importance of developing cooperation in various fields.

“Our focus will be on cultural exchange, startups and entrepreneurship, youth empowerment, mentorship and training, tourism, business and innovation, research and development, and education. We want to develop youth cooperation, and soon we will organize an entrepreneurship training camp in the UAE. We want the organizers and participants of the World Youth Festival to be our first guests”, shared Urwa Tariq.

At the end of the meeting, foreign representatives proposed the initiative to organize a youth interaction format between the countries of the Persian Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain) and Russia. As a potential tool for future joint work, the delegates suggested considering cooperation in the field of youth entrepreneurship with the support of the sovereign wealth funds of the countries.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.

In the future, the World Youth Festival will become a platform for the development of a permanent international youth movement aimed at creating a just multipolar world. On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WYF will be held in Russia on a regular basis – once in six years. Also, every six years 10,000 young people from all over the world will get together at the International Youth Festival, and international themed gatherings and events will be held under the auspices of the WYF.

The World Youth Festival is organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh). The WYF-2024 was operated by the World Youth Festival Directorate.