Elite or social project – 3

In the Armenian resort town of Tsakhkadzor, the first Eurasian youth forum “Yong Eurasian” finished. The initiators of the forum in which more than 600 people from 15 countries – the CIS, Georgia, and the Baltic region – were the Moscow Fund of Development of Eurasian Cooperation, the party Prosperous Armenia, and RIA Novosti.

Alexei Vlasov, editor-in-chief of Vestnik Kavkaza

The media coverage of the event is successful, I think. The focus was at the work with young journalists and experts. This is the main mission which should be implemented right now. We have to intensify accents and improve platforms which work with the youth, prepare Eurasian media experts and analysts. Within a month I managed to participate in three arrangements connected with new Eurasian formats. In MGIMO there was a session devoted to establishing of a working group on composing the youth parliament. RIA Novosti has recently organized a meeting of a working group on establishing the Eurasian expert club, and not only Russian, but also Kazakh and Belarusian experts attended it. In Armenia the form was held. And it shows that along with expert and political consolidation of Eurasian structures, a big work will be implemented in the sphere of media consolidation. Another question is that these platforms are disconnected with each other. There is no any systemic work. Who should initiate the work? How this systemic work should be carried out?

The second question is the content aspect of the problem. We can teach journalists to work with the Eurasian idea technically, but without a content of this projects, I think, they will remain un-implemented. Thus, I concern about the content aspect most of all. The problem is that in Armenia, for instance, political forces (as well as in Ukraine, Kazakhstan) have different attitudes to the Eurasian integration. It is time to turn to production of common fruits. We need not a separate Russian view on the Eurasian integration and participation in it Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and states which are not included into the Customs Union, but the consolidated work of Russian, Moldavian, Kazakh, Belarusian, and Armenian experts on preparation of joint reports which would concern all aspects and positions on the future Eurasian Union and possible participation of other states in this project.

When we will turn from establishing of platforms to development of general senses, even though they will be different, it is natural, because discussion leads to truth. We have to shift to forming the general content, and we have to do it now. First of all, we need consolidation of the expert space. Experts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and other countries which are interested in cooperation with the Eurasian Union should unite within some structure, a common field for shifting to adoption of a new conceptual strategy of internal formation of the Eurasian project. I think in this sense the connection between experts and media is huge.

Andrey Smirnov, vice-president of the Fund of Development of Eurasian Cooperation

There is a decision to establish the Eurasian Information League. This is an open organization. We will invite all resources – common journalists, stringers who are not working for some periodical, representatives of social organizations which are interested in promotion of the project on establishing the Eurasian Union. For each post-Soviet republic we will form an information package which will explain advantages for each country which wants participate in the Eurasian Union. It is very important, as today there is lack of information on what ideology is the basis of the idea, what principles, and what will be next. Like-minded people gathered there. They think that integration is our future. Our mutual history, mutual past say that we should integrate and move forward. We will promote the idea of Eurasian integration and explain civil societies of all post-Soviet countries and other states which express their will to join the project, for example, Serbia and some countries of South America. We don’t have geographic limits, because the idea is very interesting; it suggests a new way of cooperation, and every interested country will achieve its own benefits and dividends. The Eurasian Union is an idea of equal conditions. We have to present it in a bright light.

Nurlan Sadykov, the deputy executive secretary of the youth branch of Zhas Otan

If we want to develop, we should think about integration firstly and pay attention to modern new technologies – the mass media and Internet. Our guys will return from Armenia and we will carry out discussion platforms in Kazakhstan, which they saw in the Armenian forum, for the topics which were discussed there are discussed by our young people and journalists.