On May 12–13, Gelendzhik will host the Valdai Discussion Club’s sixth Central Asian Conference, titled “Russia and Central Asia: Navigating the New World Order.”
The conference will be attended by over 30 experts and political figures from eight countries, including China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The event is expected to be opened by Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club. Alexander Sternik, Director of the Third Department of the CIS Countries at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be a special guest at the conference.
Previous Central Asian Valdai Conferences have taken place in various parts of Russia. This year, the venue moved from Lake Baikal in Irkutsk Region to the city and district of Gelendzhik in Krasnodar Krai—a choice driven by the region’s high potential for tourism, agricultural production, and trade.
At a time when old ties are dissolving and a new world order is emerging, strengthening connectivity and building a common zone of peace, development, and prosperity in Greater Eurasia is becoming a priority for both Russia and the Central Asian states. The main goal of the conference is to find common approaches to the threats posed by the consequences of the Israeli-US military campaign against Iran and the growing confrontation between China and the US on the global stage. With the degradation of international norms and the declining role of multilateral institutions, the responsibility of Russia and the Central Asian states for security, transport communications, international trade, and humanitarian exchanges in the Eurasian space will only increase.
Key international transport corridors pass through Krasnodar Krai, linking it with the states of Central Asia and, more broadly, Greater Eurasia. One of the conference’s goals is to identify priorities for joint participation in transport and logistics projects, such as the Europe-Western China International Transport Corridor, which promotes trade between Europe and Asia, and the North-South International Transport Corridor (ISTC), which will ultimately connect Central Asia with South Asia and the Middle East.
The Central Asian Valdai Conference will last two days. Its programme includes an opening session, four thematic sessions, and an open discussion.
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During the sessions, experts will discuss the following topics:
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Russia and Central Asia in a Changing Global Environment;
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Greater Eurasia and Central Asia: Common Priorities of States;
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Multilateral Cooperation in Greater Eurasia: Formats, Challenges, and Potential;
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The Space of Culture, Science, and Education in Greater Eurasia.
From Central Asia, renowned political scientists and economists will participate in the discussions, including: Guzel Majtdinova, Director of the Centre for Geopolitical Studies at the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University; Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Shumkarbek Adilbek Uulu, Director of the National Institute of Strategic Initiatives; Tsogtbaatar Damdin, Member of the Mongolian Parliament and Head of the Mongolian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; and others.
Invited participants from outside the region include Major General (retired) RPS Bhadauria, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies and Modelling at the Joint Institute of Defence Studies (India); Yang Cheng, Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, and others.
The Russian side will be represented by Viktor Shakhmatov, Director of the Digital Initiatives Directorate at the Eurasian Development Bank; Sergey Yun, Head of the Department of World Politics at the Faculty of Historical and Political Science at Tomsk State University; Stanislav Pritchin, Head of the Central Asia Sector at IMEMO RAS; Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director of the Valdai Discussion Club; Timofei Bordachev, Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, and others.
Working languages: Russian, English
Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our website. Accreditation closes on May 8 at 12:00 Moscow time (GMT+3). If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763.
Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VK, Telegram and Dzen.
