On the Second European Russian Forum

PRESS RELEASE

A meeting of the Second European Russian Forum took place in the European Parliament building in Brussels on December 8 with the backing of the Government Commission for the Affairs of Compatriots Abroad.

The organizers of the event included the Russian World Foundation, the Moscow City Government, the Russian Orthodox Church, the European Russian Alliance, and the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament.

Members of country coordination councils of Russian compatriots and representatives of European Russian communities, religious confessions, deputies of the Russian State Duma, euro-parliamentarians, officials from the EU Council and EU Commission, scholars, entrepreneurs, public and political figures of Europe and Russia, diplomats and journalists took part.

The Forum participants sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. They heard, with special emotion, the message to the Forum of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, which was one of the last documents signed by him.

As part of the main theme of the event, ‘The European Union and Russia: New Challenges,' a discussion took place on the development of nongovernmental mechanisms for intensifying the dialogue between Russia and the EU countries under civil society auspices; on the reinforcement of interaction among the Russian-speaking diasporas in EU member states; and on the promotion of Russia's objective image in Europe.

December 10, 2008