The biggest conference in Yaroslavl

by Evgeny Pavlov

The modern state and Global security is the name of the greatest conference ever which took place in Yaroslavl yesterday.

September 14, 2009 International Conference “The Modern State and Global Security” organized and held under the aegis of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev will take place in Yaroslavl, Russia. The Key topic of the Conference is what the modern state should be like, how should it act and progress in order to make the world a safer and more sustainable place.

There were lots of topics:

• In which degree does social policy of one state become a factor of global stability;
• Though which international institutions should states develop standards of their behavior and guarantee security of other countries;
• Upon which principles is it possible to build a mutual loyalty of states toward a distinct pattern of a political system;
• What actions should the modern state take against terrorism, separatism and xenophobia, present threats to the common good.

There were more than 550 participants including our president Medvedev, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

There is an interesting connection between Mr. Medvedev and Yaroslavl. I've found it on Russia Today website.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who celebrated his birthday Monday, explained to the audience the significance of choosing the ancient Russian city of Yaroslavl, which turns a youthful 1,000 years old next year, as the venue site.

“Yaroslavl received its namesake from ‘Yaroslav the Wise,’ a grand prince who was responsible for transforming early Russia into a cultural and military powerhouse,” the president explained.

He then reminded the audience that it was “Yaroslav who was responsible for publishing Russia’s first code of laws, which became the basis of Russian statehood.” This little history lesson courtesy of the Russian president, by the way, was probably meant as a dig at those who chastise Russia’s home-grown brand of democracy. After all, should Russians stop drinking kvass just because Coca-Cola is widely available? Probably not.

Medvedev also mentioned Yarolslavl’s coat of arms, which just happens to be the bear, an animal that behaves with “force and prudence.” Medvedev said that it is exactly these two qualities that will help the world escape from the clutches of global financial crisis (Incidentally, the Russian word for bear is “medved”).

More info you can find on the official website.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 in News. You can comment (we have one response).