On May 23-24, the international “Second Europe-Asia: Dialogue of Civilizations Conference” was held in the Russian city of Perm on the Europe-Asia border. Statesmen, politicians, diplomats, and experts from various regions of the Eurasian continent participated in the Conference.
Leading countries of Eurasia gathered
The Eurasian Dialogue group of the Russian Parliament and the ruling party United Russia organized the Conference. Embassies from countries like China, India, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Laos and the Philippines were present at the Conference. Besides, Serbian Prime Minister and People’s Party Chairman Nenad Popović, Azerbaijani deputy Elshad Mirbashiroglu, the Vatan Party representative in Russia, UWI author, historian and political scientist Dr. Mehmet Perinçek were among attendees.
High-level participation from Russia
High-level officials from the United Russia Party and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, distinguished state, society, science and religious leaders from different faiths gave speeches at the Conference. Some of the notable speakers included Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council; Andrey Klimov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs; Dmitry Makhonin, Governor of Perm Territory; and Svetlana Smirnova, first deputy of the Secretary General – Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, member of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, Chairperson of the Council of Assembly of Peoples’ of Russia.
Against Western impositions
Like the first held in 2022, this conference also focused on enhancing intercultural and international dialogue among countries from various civilizations in the 21st century. Many participants emphasized that some states, predominantly from the Western civilization, are attempting to eliminate the diversity of humanity, existing political systems, cultural traditions and historical national identities under the guise of a so-called universal common mutuality, and thus are trying to revive old, colonial, imperial traditions. The speakers agreed that without equal and respectful dialogue among countries and peoples, true international security cannot be achieved.
During the discussions, issues related to the development of information and communication technologies, especially artificial intelligence, were also raised. The Conference and the negotiations proposed the following points for detailed consideration:
- Inclusion of a broad exchange of views on the preservation and development of generally accepted spiritual and moral values within the BRICS format;
- Establishment of a permanent communication center for inter-civilizational dialogue in Perm, located on the geographical border of Europe and Asia.
Rise of the Eurasian civilization
Dr. Mehmet Perinçek began his speech by examining the concept of Eurasia beyond its geographical meaning, within the framework of politics, geopolitics and civilization. He highlighted that the countries gathered at the Conference are pioneers of the Eurasian era and share a common destiny: “We, our countries, are at the forefront of Eurasia today. Russia is currently fighting the ‘Collective West’ on the Ukraine front. In the Eastern Mediterranean, Türkiye is standing guard in Eurasia against the Atlantic barrels and challenging Washington’s so-called ‘Greater Kurdistan’ project in Syria and Iraq. Yesterday, we achieved victory against the Atlantic system in Karabakh. Our Chinese friends are ready to respond to any US aggression in the Taiwan Strait. The Palestinian people are heroically resisting Israel’s genocidal policies. As we all know, Cuba has been resisting US imperialism for many years.”
Sovereign, public-oriented, socialist, enlightened
Mehmet Perinçek, saying that Eurasian civilizations historically have guarded major trade routes for centuries, ensuring order and stability, emphasized that these countries bear the responsibility for peace today. He stated that the era of dollar hegemony and the neoliberal system has ended. Referring to Putin’s remarks on the failure of “wild capitalism” and the exhaustion of the capitalist model as an economic system, he drew attention to the need for an economic system surpassing capitalism for the Eurasian civilization. After presenting data showing the shift of the world economy’s weight to Eurasia and the concentration of energy resources in this geography, Perinçek discussed the nationalist, public-oriented, socialist and enlightened aspects of the new Eurasian civilization.
Mehmet Perinçek also emphasized the importance of alliances such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and the Organization of Turkic States in Eurasian cooperation.
During the Conference days, participants also visited the “Perm Business Days” fair at Perm EXPO and the “Promobot” factory, which is one of Russia’s prominent robot manufacturers.