IRCICA Director General Prof. Halit Eren participated with an address in the “International Forum of Writers and Intellectuals named after Chingiz Aitmatov” which was conducted online by the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” on 22 October 2020. The theme of the forum was “Russia and the Islamic World: The Role of Traditional Values in Maintaining Cultural Diversity”. This was the fourth of a series of forums: earlier, the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” and IRCICA had jointly organized the Round-table on “Cultural Interactions and the Heritage of Chingiz Aitmatov” which was held in Istanbul on 24 March 2018. Subsequently, IRCICA participated with addresses in the second (Moscow, 22-23 November 2018) and third (Kazan, 25 October 2019) sessions of the Forum. The main objective of the Forum is to underscore the intellectual legacy of Aitmatov which emphasizes intercultural dialogue, tolerance and traditional values and to bring the intellectuals and writers together from around the world in order to develop a joint approach and solution to the spiritual, moral and social problems of the modern world, promote social peace and harmony.
The Forum was addressed by the following dignitaries: Ambassassador Farit Mukhametshin, Deputy Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs in Russian Federation; Ambassador Ramazan Abdulatipov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OIC; Prof. Dr. Halit Eren, Director General of IRCICA, Mr. Salim M. Al Malik, Director General of ICESCO, Ambassador Konstantin Shuvalov, Ambassador at large of the Russian Foreign Ministry; Mr. Eldar Aitmatov, President of the Chingiz Aitmatov International Foundation and Director of the Chingiz Aitmatov Museum; Mrs. Irina Bokova, the 10th Director General of UNESCO (2009-2017); Mrs. Leyla Fazleeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation; Dr. Mounir Bouchenaki, Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO and Former Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center; Mufti Rushan Abbasov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis; Mr. Alexandra Ochirova, Member of the Presidium of the Civil Society Organization and Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO; Mr..E. Evgeny Sidorov, Former Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to UNESCO and former Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation; Mr. Vladimir Masalov, Member of the Writers’ Union of Russia; Mr. Kanta Ibragimov, Laureate of the State Prize of Russia, Chairman of the Writers’ Union of the Chechen Republic; Mr. Ejaz Akram, Advisor to President of the National Defense University; Prof. Nasirulla Mirkurbanov, Lecturer at the National University of Uzbekistan, Department of World Literature; Prof. Nourhan El Sheikh, Lecturer at Cairo University, Department of International Relations; and Mr. Abdellatif Bahraoui, Journalist. The Forum was moderated by Dr. Anna Belikova, Senior Lecturer at Lomonosov Moscow State University and Advisor of the Group of Strategic vision “Russia- Islamic world”.
In his address to the forum IRCICA Director General Prof. Halit Eren stressed that in the present age of fast-moving capitalism, individualism and conspicuous consumption, the preservation of traditional values acquired increased importance. He also underlined that in the current multipolar global order trade wars, economic inequalities and geopolitical tensions trigger the rise of extremist movements that spread xenophobia, Islamophobia and non-tolerant views towards minority groups. In this context, preservation of traditional knowledge and values to support multicultural diversity and peaceful coexistence of communities is more important than ever. Conducting research to produce truthful accounts of cultural traditions and disseminate knowledge among young generations has become a vital element of maintaining peace and stability. Research centers such as IRCICA which contribute to intercultural dialogue acquired added importance under the current global conditions.
After the participants’ speeches, the Forum ended with a discussion.
