The events of the 10th St Petersburg International United Cultures Forum will last until September 14. The anniversary year’s theme is the 21st Century Culture: Sovereignty or Globalism?
The plenary session was held in the General Staff building of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
I am glad to welcome you in Russia, in St Petersburg.
It is the tenth time now that our northern capital city welcomes cultural representatives from around the world. Every meeting of this kind, like the culture itself, embodies the Zeitgeist and raises acute, vital and most important issues.
The Forum of United Cultures is a substantive answer to the most complicated challenges that our countries and nations are facing today. Even its name recognises the civilisational diversity of the world, people’s natural right to identity, respect for traditional values and religions and, of course, the countries’ unconditional equality in shaping the global cultural agenda.
These approaches and principles were envisaged in the Declaration adopted at the last year’s forum. Their relevance in our time is higher than ever.
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The importance of humanism and dialogue, mutual respect and trust in the world is shared by the global majority. However, it is unfortunately under constant pressure and the threat of dilution, primarily due to unprecedented politicisation of the cultural sphere, which is being turned into a weapon in geopolitical schemes, and due to constant attempts to push it to the sidelines and to belittle the importance of national value systems and everything that does not coincide with the agenda promoted by the globalist elites and the ruling circles in some countries.
Russia has identified its main values and enshrined them in the Constitution, the country’s Basic law. We protect these values and everyone who shares them, who, like us, believes that the people’s right to speak their mother tongue and keep the faith of their fathers, to live in harmony with nature under its natural laws is sacred.
Without exaggeration, the result of these efforts will determine both the future world order and prospects for culture. We believe that it should and can exist without gross interference and without cancel culture, that is, the cancellation of culture itself.
There is a good reason that diplomacy is called an art. It takes more than knowledge and talent to master it. Diplomacy is also culture: a culture of actions, emotions, and speech. It is what gives an understanding of what can or cannot be said or done in order to avoid irreversible consequences.
Culture has always been a kind of a fuse for the world. It seems to have melted through in some countries. Today, many high-ranking politicians have lost their moral boundaries, breaking taboos that remained even during the most tense moments of the Cold War. In countries where such elites rule, people start gradually to accept xenophobia and then extreme forms of discrimination and persecution on national, ethnic, or religious grounds as a matter of course.
We all know how quickly the ruling regimes get dehumanised in situations like this, and what it means for particular families and people of different ages. We can see this.
This is why I have recently signed a Presidential Executive Order on providing humanitarian support to people who share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. We are not fighting against any other values – we support our own. This is the difference in approaches between us and our opponents.
This decision was made in response to the growing flow of requests from countries where people are essentially being deprived of freedom of choice, mainly families with children, against whom local authorities impose perverted ethical standards.
There are also many requests from cultural figures who do not want to restrict their creativity to the Procrustean bed of quotas and criteria and to create in compliance with neoliberal standards alien to them.
These standards are being actively spread in some media, thus forming what is called mainstream. If authors are interested in their work being published or released, they must follow this mainstream. If there is a shadow of dissent or doubt in these works or even in private statements, then the writer, director, or actor will be ostracised or cancelled.
Moreover, we can see more often how the value agenda promoted by Western elites ignores and sometimes deliberately insults global religions and cultural traditions of entire regions of the world. I believe that most countries and peoples do not like this approach. They see the future of culture in mutual respect and trust, as well as in equal international cooperation in this area.
In hosting this forum once again, especially during such challenging times, we remain deeply convinced of the essential need for dialogue between cultures. Your voices, friends, must be heard.
No amount of aggressive propaganda can stand against genuine art, because true artists have an acute sense of the times and the needs of society. They can discern real from false values and recognise those who genuinely fight for peace, prosperity, and friendship among nations, as opposed to those who cloak self-interest, superiority, and destructive ambitions and their exceptionalism behind noble words.
Your creative, scientific, and educational activity holds tremendous potential for fostering peace and countering division. It helps maintain bonds between people and has the power to heal the wounds inflicted by conflicts and wars. That is why it is so important for you to have opportunities to communicate, exchange ideas, and collaborate on joint projects.
As one of the most diverse nations in the world, Russia is genuinely pleased to offer you this platform, including through today’s forum.
We understand that the cornerstone of cultural development is continuous interaction and mutual enrichment. The unity of diverse cultures and traditions holds immense creative power. This unity shapes our national identity and embodies core national values such as mutual support, justice, compassion, historical memory, continuity of generations, strong family bonds, patriotism, and civic duty.
For our international audience it is important to emphasise that Russia emerged as a multinational state from the very beginning. This rich diversity is deeply ingrained in our traditions and forms the foundation of both our shared identity and spiritual strength.
We place great emphasis on cultural development. Museums, theatres, community centres, and libraries are constantly being modernised, and places of worship are being restored. Public spaces like embankments, parks, and public gardens are also being revitalised. This effort not only enhances the cultural landscape but also plays a crucial role in the development of all our regions.
During my recent visit to Tuva, I observed the growth of the local religious community. Across the country, we are building hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of new mosques, churches, and synagogues. This cultural and religious revival is progressing rapidly, in ways that were unprecedented in both Tsarist and Soviet Russia.
We are making significant efforts to protect cultural heritage sites and are planning to adopt a long-term programme that will be implemented not only through government funding but also with the support of private benefactors. We have experience in this area and plan to build on it. We recognise the importance of restoring historic estates and churches, as they are tangible representations of our centuries-old history and national identity.
Cultural and humanitarian ties, cooperation in art and education, and youth exchanges are key priorities of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship. This organisation represents a model for a multipolar world, where principles such as mutual respect, independent development paths, and practical implementation of the UN Charter’s key principle, sovereign equality among states, prevail.
This year, Russia also holds the Commonwealth of Independent States chairmanship. Both through the CIS and BRICS, an unprecedented number of projects are being implemented. The business agenda of your forum includes meetings within the framework of these organisations.
Just yesterday, for instance, as far as I know, a meeting of the culture ministers from participating countries took place. I’m pleased to welcome you all here – colleagues, ladies, and gentlemen – and to thank you for your contribution to strengthening inter-culture dialogue, for your dedication to infusing it with vibrant, creative content and innovative ideas.
I believe the time has come to establish a new, shared international infrastructure for national cultures. In today’s world, the most successful societies are those where people are driven and inspired by culture, and where they can rely on a strong foundation of their values, history, and traditions.
Friends, colleagues,
Last year, we had in-depth discussions on many issues of shared interest. I hope you will understand that, unfortunately, I will not be able to engage in such discussions right now. However, I am confident that everything taking place at the forum and across the various platforms organised by the participants has been both highly engaging and valuable.
We are always pleased to welcome you to Russia – not just at this forum, but also at many events Russia hosts across various areas related to both our culture and the global culture, which our nation’s culture is an integral part of.
Thank you for your attention, and I wish you all the very best.
Thank you very much.