Valdai Club

On April 28, 2016, the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club and the European Council on Foreign Affairs (ECFR) signed a cooperation agreement in the framework of the "EU - Russia" Strategic Group. Both sides expressed mutual desire to shape the global agenda, as well as to strengthen ties between the intellectual elites of Russia and the European Union

The document was signed by Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, and Dick Oosting, CEO of the European Council on Foreign Affairs, after the seminar with the participation of the ECFR delegation, organized by the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on March 14-15, 2016.

According to the agreement, the parties "will promote the establishment of an effective dialogue between the scientific and expert communities" and contribute to the information exchange on current trends in such areas as international relations, global politics, economy, security, energy, sociology, communications etc.

The purpose of the "EU - Russia" Strategic Group is to strengthen links between the intellectual elites of Russia and the European Union, and to develop ideas on bilateral relations. Therefore, for a more effective cooperation the parties plan to hold joint events: meetings with experts, forums, conferences, discussion panels, and so on.

Moreover, the parties agreed to carry out socially important projects that promote scientific and socio-cultural links between Russia and the European Union.