On July 2 - 4, representatives of the World Youth Festival Directorate paid an official visit to the State of Kuwait. The delegates held a series of meetings with government officials, members of diplomatic missions, university representatives, and media companies.

In the course of the working visit, there was a meeting with the head of the World Youth Festival project office in Kuwait, Fnyees Alajmi. The participants summarized the results of the project office's activities over the year and outlined further directions for the development of bilateral relations in the field of youth policy.

"I think the relationship between our countries is getting stronger. People are happy to see friends from Russia coming to Kuwait. And the World Youth Festival, the biggest international event that happened last year, had a big impact on building friendship between young people in our countries. Now we must unlock our potential in the fields of education, healthcare, business, and youth activities. Within the framework of the WYF project office, we would like to contribute to improving relations between Kuwait and Russia," noted Fnyees Alajmi.

Employees of the World Youth Festival Directorate met with Abdullah Salem Al Adwani, Acting Director General of the Kuwaiti Public Authority for Youth, to whom they presented the work of the World Youth Festival Directorate and the World Youth Festival Assembly. They also discussed preparations for the visit of Arab youth delegation to Russia in August 2025 as a part of the Global Leaders Exchange Program organized by the Secretariat General for the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The delegation visited the embassy and met with Vladimir Zheltov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the State of Kuwait. Representatives of the diplomatic mission familiarized themselves with the activities of the World Youth Festival Directorate and upcoming international events. They discussed the role of youth diplomacy in strengthening bilateral relations, as well as plans to involve Kuwaiti students in Russian projects.

The delegates also held negotiations with the Director General of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, one of the largest educational institutions in the Middle East that enrolls approximately 75,000 students, and looked into the possibility of developing student exchanges between Russia and Kuwait. Representatives of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training expressed their interest in organizing internships and one-year training programs for Russian students studying Arabic, as well as opening Russian language courses at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training. The prospects for educational exchange were also discussed with Khaled Al-Barrak, the head of the Workers Union at the Ministry of Higher Education.

In addition, there was a meeting with the Kuwaiti delegation at the World Youth Festival 2024. Participants shared their impression of the event and their expectations of the upcoming World Youth Festival Assembly 2025. The development of trade cooperation and the strengthening of economic ties between Russia and Kuwait were discussed during negotiations with the management of Keifak company.

The delegation included a participant of the World Youth Festival 2024, co-chair of the student union and head of the international center of the student union of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Yossr Ghazy. He noted that there is a great potential for developing relations between Russia and Kuwait within the framework of youth policy.

During the visit, we had the opportunity to meet with representatives of government agencies, educational institutions, and the media. We are pleased that now there is an opportunity to offer Russian language courses in Kuwait, as this will encourage young people to study in Russia and learn about its culture. The visit also provided prospects for expanding student exchanges and training in Kuwait for Russian students learning Arabic. We also see great potential for developing cooperation in the business sector. We observe that many young people are already interested in getting educated in Russia and are eager to learn more," said Yossr Ghazy.

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.

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 World Youth Festival Forum, and in between, international themed assemblies for 2,000 participants will be held under the auspices of the WYF. The first Assembly is scheduled to take place in September 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod. Festival events of various formats will be held in Russia annually.

According to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation on the preservation and development of the Festival legacy, the World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.