An international conference with the participation of representatives of the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO was held at the Center for Social Conservative Policy

On April 3, 2025, the Center for Social Conservative Policy held a roundtable discussion on the topic: "The Becoming of the Eurasian Project. Value bases of a secure future". The event was attended by representatives of the working bodies of the CSTO, the CIS, the SCO, specialized expert centers, as well as religious associations.

The participants have discussed the issues of information policy in the transition to a multipolar world order and the tasks of building a common field of value dialog, as well as the prospects for the development of information and analytical cooperation between the CIS, the SCO and the CSTO.

In his opening speech, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the CSTO Secretariat Yuri Shuvalov noted that the event was being held on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and informed about the preparations of the CSTO Secretariat and Joint Staff for the international scientific-practical conference “Contribution of the peoples of the CSTO member states to the Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War” to be held on April 24 at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Yuri Shuvalov emphasized the importance of intensifying multilateral dialogue in the Eurasian space: "The need for dialogue is primarily dictated by the fact that the vast expanse of Eurasia is home to completely different peoples with different identities, cultures and perceptions of the world and current events. The world is changing rapidly, becoming, as we say, multipolar, but this does not mean that it is becoming safe. We are certainly making every effort to ensure security, but in many ways the key to security is the ability of our politicians and our peoples to understand each other”.

Alexander Matyash, Director of the Information and Analytical Department of the CIS Executive Committee, spoke in his speech about the prospects of the CIS development. According to him, at present the Commonwealth of Independent States is one of the effectively operating interstate regional political and economic associations, the development of which is in line with modern world trends of regionalization and formation of a multipolar world, noting Russia's positive contribution:

"Against this background, Russia within the CIS openly advocates the strengthening of the established international legal foundations and the preservation of traditional values. By building up its economic, technological and investment potential, it confirms its attractiveness to the world's majority countries, which, of course, include the CIS republics".

Oleg Kopylov, the SCO Deputy Secretary General, informed about approaches to information and analytical cooperation between the SCO, the CIS and the CSTO. He noted that the SCO saw it necessary to maximize the involvement of the expert and analytical communities in the formation of a full-fledged “second track” that would support the decision-making process both at the level of states and interstate associations:

“There is no doubt that political scientists and experts are able to look at the geopolitical, geo-economic problems of Eurasia from the position, including historical perspective, from the position of the lessons of history, but, at the same time, directed into the future” - emphasized Oleg Kopylov.

The speaker also spoke about the SCO Forum scheduled to be held in New Delhi in early May, which is an important format for interaction between the analytical communities of the Organization's member states.

Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Property, Land and Property Relations Sergey Gavrilov noted a certain lack of communication in inter-parliamentary cooperation with a general friendly approach: "It seems to me that neither government officials, nor business, nor even cultural figures are able to cope with this. Here, of course, we need to rely on mature, significant, properly oriented experts who form the agenda".

Mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia Albir Krganov drew attention to the fact that thanks to Russia's policy of preserving the cultures of indigenous peoples, as well as the historically unifying role of the Russian people, it was possible to preserve the unique unity, diversity and spiritual community.

"We are well aware that in the face of new challenges and threats to Russia's national security we need reliable partners and allies in the modern world. And the official initiatives of the country's authorities to implement the Eurasian project can undoubtedly be strengthened through a modern dialog of religions and cultures, acting as a powerful factor in the formation of an integral cultural and spiritual Eurasian space" - the speaker said.

Natalia Kharitonova, Advisor and Press Secretary of the CSTO Secretariat, stressed that the main challenge for multilateral associations was the need to adapt to new geopolitical realities: "There are many such organizations, both universal and specialized. They will all be tested under the conditions of a changing world order”.

"Perhaps the future centers of power will be civilizational centers, which will include other countries that share the values of these very civilizations. And there will be a completely different dialog between them, but it will most likely be a dialog on equal footing," Natalia Kharitonova pointed out.

Igor Zadorin, co-founder and member of the Board of the International Association of Research Agencies “Eurasian Monitor”, analyzed the state of the information space of Northern Eurasia: "Western structures do not spare money to finance research grants, realizing that this public, experts of public profile, though few in number, are very influential. They disseminate those very values, give assessments, and conduct expert evaluations. We do not have a single program for funding grants for foreign researchers.

"We keep talking about the fact that we live in the era of information wars. In this sense, now the conquest of some countries by others is not through the conquest of territories, but through the conquest of heads," the specialist noted.

Andrei Gromov, founder of the GR-group consulting agency, in his speech stated the importance of defending state interests in the value-ideological plane: "We are still capable of defending our interests in a hot war. In cold, “hybrid” warfare we have not learned, unfortunately, to achieve the results we would like. And this is a really big problem. Otherwise, we are doomed to act only with this hot toolkit, which, of course, lacks a constructive, creative moment".

Denis Vozilov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Religion and Law at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, emphasized the challenges and threats to the development of interfaith dialogue in a multipolar world:

"What is good for America or for India does not at all mean what is good in Russia. Most likely, their way of life will destroy our country. The task of state bodies, religious organizations is to develop the understanding that will allow this state to protect".

Sergey Volobuev, coordinator of the Civic Examination project and philosopher, stated the need to develop a global narrative that Russia and Northern Eurasia could promote to the world:

"What's important? We have very serious cultural differences, values. We know that there are those who will never agree and will resist to the end with weapons in their hands. We all understand that. The destructive notion was not born out of nothing," the expert noted.

Pavel Lebedev, Head of the Department for Work with Governmental Structures of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and Mass Media, spoke about the main direction of the organization's work in promoting value narratives:

"We are working to ensure that the concept of traditional values does not become just one of the ordinary political declarations. After all, they need to be interpreted and transmitted. And we see that this interpretation and translation is possible only through education and upbringing.

Archimandrite Nikon (Dublyazhenko), a clergyman of the ROC MP, noted the role of international organizations in the emerging multipolar world:

"It is such international organizations as the SCO, the CIS, the CSTO, which today are entrusted with interstate dialogue to achieve certain goals set by each state, that will become the leading ones in the multipolar world that is forming before our eyes. The one who is strong and who will help the weak in this space will become the center of expansion".

Vyacheslav Kocharyan, Advisor of the Expert-Analytical Department of the CSTO PA Secretariat, reviewed the aspects of the CSTO model lawmaking and countering threats to collective security - corruption, organized crime and terrorism.

“Let me express the hope that the results of expert discussions like today's roundtable will contribute to the neutralization of corruption as an anti-state and socially dangerous phenomenon, which entails damage to the image at the national and international level”. - the expert emphasized.