On September 22, signing of a memorandum of understanding and cooperation was signed between the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (Japan) took place at the Valdai Club’s Moscow venue, The document was signed by Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, and Atsushi Sunami, President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
The memorandum confirms the mutual desire to establish cooperation between the academic and expert communities of Russia and Japan, contribute to a qualified and objective assessment of global problems, and seek joint solutions aimed at developing relations between the two countries.
The signing ceremony was also attended by Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club; Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Nippon Foundation; Jumpei Sasakawa, President of the Nippon Foundation; and Taisuke Abiru, Senior Research Fellow of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
After signing the partnership agreement, Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, remarked: “You know, these days, the ice is melting even in the Arctic Ocean, but some ice remains in relations between Russia and Japan. This is very strange, and so I really hope that today’s signing of the memorandum of cooperation will help melt the ice in our relations.”
Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, in turn, emphasized that Mr. Sasakawa’s visit was a great honour for the Valdai Club: “We are very proud to have been working with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation for many years.”
In recent years, Valdai has been actively establishing contacts with research institutes around the world. In 2023, the Club signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation with the Vivekananda International Foundation (India), and in 2024, it concluded partnership agreements with the Bait Al-Amanah Foundation (Malaysia), the Institute for Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Malaysia), and the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (Pakistan). This year, the Trends Research and Advisory Institute (UAE) also became a partner of the Club.
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) is a non-governmental research organization founded in 1986. The Foundation aims to promote sustainable development and create a new system of social governance by facilitating research projects, developing policy recommendations, and supporting international cooperation and exchange of experience. The organization uses its independent status as a private foundation to seek innovative solutions and approaches to a wide range of 21st-century issues, including those related to establishing peace and ensuring security. Representatives of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation are regular participants in expert meetings, regional conferences, and the Valdai Club’s Annual Meeting, which this year will be held from September 29 to October 2 in Sochi.
