Opinions & Interviews

SOCHI, 19 October (BelTA) – Young people can make a substantial contribution to peace and good neighborliness between countries, Andrei Belyakov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the BRSM Youth Union, member of the Council of the Republic, noted at the opening of the third youth forum of the BRICS group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the World Festival for Friendship, Peace, and Development, in Sochi on 19 October, BelTA has learned.

Belarus actively expands cooperation with BRICS and the SCO, having an observer status in the latter organization. “We share and understand their ideas. The main one is partnership for peace and future. These matters are essential for young people who are a sort of ambassadors for peace at this festival. We would like them to continue working for peace and good neighborliness after they come back home,” Andrei Belyakov said.

The festival’s friendly and warm atmosphere proves that young people share common values and goals despite the fact that they live on different continents and speak different languages.

The BRSM first secretary recalled that Belarus will host the second European Games in 2019 and suggested holding a session of the SCO Youth Council during this sports forum in June 2019.

The Russian Union of Youth is one of the festival’s organizers. Its chairman, Pavel Krasnorutsky, emphasized that during such events young people discuss topical matters that bother them. The decisions taken earlier are reflected in specific projects. “Youth cooperation makes a fair contribution to mutual understanding and peaceful dialogue between nations. Nowadays, young people are driven by the spirit of tolerance,” he remarked. Pavel Krasnorutsky thanked youth organizations from partner countries taking part in the forum, including the BRSM. The Russian Union of Youth and the BRSM are united by long-standing cooperation and big projects such as the international youth camp Be-La-Rus and the beauty contest Spring Queen. Public associations hope to expand the geographical scope of these events, in particular by means of BRICS and the SCO.

The youth forum of BRICS and the SCO member states is taking place during the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) in Sochi. The WFYS is due to run through 22 October. It has brought together over 20,000 people from 180 countries. A daisy with petals of different colors has been chosen as the festival’s symbol. It represents the continuity of traditions, connections that span generations, peace and unity of the entire international community. Colored pixels play a major part as a token of unity of all the young people in the world in the age of information technologies. The festival is meant to consolidate young people of the world, encourage interethnic and intercultural cooperation.