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INTERNATIONAL FORUM THE GERMAN-POLISH-RUSSIAN TRIALOGUE 2018


In the period between 16 – 22 September 2018 in Kazan (Russia) Maciej Gorgol, Board Member of the International Institute of the Civil Society, took part in the international forum „the German-Polish-Russian Trialogue 2018” – a trilateral summit gathering young professionals from Germany, Poland and Russia around the subjects of international relations, civil society and economic and academic cooperation.

The Trialogue is a cyclical intiative organised by the Russian-German association DRJUG e.V. (Alumniverein des Deutsch-Russischen Jugendparlaments). Partners of this year’s edition of the forum included the Russian Academic Mobility Center and the Polish Forum of Young Diplomats.

The rich agenda of the event held in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, included a wide array of seminars, lectures and workshops with diplomats and experts from academy, media and representatives of local government.

On the first day of the forum at the German Russian Institute of Advanced Technologies (GRIAT) introductory lectures were held with the participation from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Russia, regarding the current landscape of the trilateral German-Polish-Russian relations, as well as the role and perspectives for development of youth and academic cooperation between the three states.

On Tuesday, the 18th of September, the event participants visited Kazan Arena, a football stadium known for this years’ World Cup in Russia. The visit was followed by a lecture delivered by the Minister for Sports of the Tatarstan Republic dedicated to the management of sports events and the role of sport for local communities. Next item on the agenda was an excursion to Innopolis, the Russian IT-capital, together with seminars at the Innopolis University concerning „A common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok“ (Jakobine Freytag, Schneider Group) and meetings with students from the local entrepreneurship club and the students‘ council.

On day three the forum moved to the premises of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan where a meeting with Ildar Sufiyarov, chairman of the Tatarstan Youth Parliament, was organised. Next two lectures on the role of cultural diplomacy were held – one by  a representative from the German Goethe Institute, and second by vice-president of the Polish Institute in Moscow. The day was finished off with the economic seminar by Dr. Hansjürgen Overstolz, CEO of Bosch for Russia and CIS, on the future of trade between Europe and Russia.

Thursday, 20 September, began with a lecture by dr Janusz Onyszkiewicz (former Minister for Defence of the Republic of Poland) titled „Disintegration of the Polish Solidarity movement“. In the second part of the day the Trialogue participants took active part in a debate organised at the Political Sciences Department of the Kazan Federal University titled „the Future of Trilateral Relations: the Future or Conflict?”, with the following speakers on the panel: prof. Bogdan Góralczyk (Director of the European Center of the University of Warsaw), prof. Andrey Kinyakin (People's Friendship University in Moscow) and Felix Krawatzek (Centre for East European and International Studies, Berlin).

On the last day of the forum, at the German Russian Institute of Advanced Technologies (GRIAT) two final workshops were held. The first one touched upon the role of media and the mission of journalists in Russia (Ariadna Rokossowska), while the second one was titled „Global Energy Governance: The Role of Germany, Poland and Russia“ (dr. hab. Rafał Ulatowski, Institute of the International Relations of the University of Warsaw).

The intense six-day agenda of the „the German-Polish-Russian Trialogue 2018” was finished off with traditional Tatarstan dinner at the locally renowned „Tatarskaya Usadba” restaurant.