5th Caspian Media Forum kicks off in Astrakhan

The 5th Caspian Media Forum has opened in Astrakhan today. The forum is organised by the Center for International Public Policy Studies 'Caspian-Eurasia with information support from the Astrakhan region government. The project is also being implemented with the support of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund and the North-South Political Science Center.

The event was opened by Governor of the Astrakhan Region Igor Babushkin. Welcoming speeches were also made by the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky and head of the Russian Presidential Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Countries Alexey Vlasov.

The plenary session was addressed by Acting Consul General of Iran in Astrakhan Mokhtari Behrouz, Consul of Kazakhstan in Astrakhan Kanat Shekkaliev, Consul of Turkmenistan Atadurdy Bayramov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Youth Union Tatyana Seliverstova and First Deputy Secretary General, Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples Assembly Svetlana Smirnova.

According to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, Kanat Shekkaliev emphasized in his speech that Kazakhstan sees the mass media as a factor in strengthening the unity of society and ensuring the country's movement along the path of progress. "The palette of topics for discussion is diverse. The agenda includes acute international and regional political issues: the preservation of the unique ecological zone of the Caspian region, the development of its infrastructure, the establishment of international relations, cooperation in the field of tourism, education, medicine and trade," he said.

"The Caspian media forum has turned into a large-scale public life event of not only the Astrakhan region, but of the entire Caspian region. Media training for young journalists is regularly organized, organized by our friends from the Center for International Public Policy Studies 'Caspian-Eurasia. I take this opportunity to thank the Caspian-Eurasia center for the high level of organization of the forum and for the comfortable conditions for all participants and guests, I also wish them further creative success in the development of interaction in the field of information, culture and education," the Kazakh consul thanked the organizers of the forum.

“The Caspian Media Forum is an indicator of the strengthening of economic, cultural, educational and tourism ties between the Caspian states. The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which was signed a year ago in Aktau, aimed at strengthening friendly relations between the Caspian states, gave an additional impetus to closer cooperation between the media of the Caspian region. I am sure that the results of the Caspian Media Forum will make a worthy contribution to the development of multifaceted interaction and cooperation in the Caspian region. There are all necessary conditions for this, the most important thing is our common good will. In turn, Kazakhstan is ready to interact with all Caspian neighbors and will continue to develop constructive relations based on openness, equality, mutual benefit," Kanat Shekkaliev concluded.

Panel discussions, expert meetings and strategic sessions will take place this year at various venues during the two days of forum. The main events are the 'Media Trends in the Digital Age' plenary discussion, the 'Media Communications as an Instrument of Public Diplomacy' panel discussion and the 'Caspian Convention: a year later' expert session.

Within the forum's framework, Astrakhan is hosting media representatives, political scientists, experts and analysts from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In total, it is attended by more than 200 delegates.