"No panic": President Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Discussion Club session at the National Centre RUSSIA
Vladimir Putin spoke at the plenary session of the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club. This year's theme is "Responsibility for the Future: Limits of the Possible or Possibilities Without Limits?"
At the beginning of his address, the head of state noted the growing intensity and complexity of the changing world order, highlighted the key concepts discussed during the preceding days of the forum, and outlined the theme of this year's report.
"Changes are taking place literally in every sphere of human activity; the second concept is responsibility, because the more changes there are, the less clarity there is about how things will develop further, and the greater everyone's responsibility for that development becomes; and the third concept, which may seem surprising — and we also had fairly intensive discussions about it — is calmness. Our report, which we prepare every year, is called 'No Panic' this year. In these difficult circumstances, we suggest avoiding the worst possible response — namely, rushing around in a panic," emphasised Vladimir Putin.
The head of state noted that the world has reached a "decisive turning point" in its development not only in politics, but also in technological, biological and moral terms. According to the President of Russia, troubling trends make it necessary to think first and foremost about how to preserve global peace and security right now, under conditions "when many of the previous legal norms have been discarded and new ones have yet to emerge". Vladimir Putin also stressed that the scale of global change — both the changes that have already taken place and those still to come — is enormous:
"Although humanity can feel that major changes are taking place, it has still not fully grasped the true scale of the challenge it is facing. This is the beginning of an entirely new, completely new reality. Threats and dangers are closely intertwined with opportunities and prospects, and at the same time they are inseparable from one another. Our entire way of life is changing. Let me emphasise once again: this is not only, or even primarily, about shifts in the balance of power between major powers or the redistribution of economic and technological influence."
According to the President of Russia, amid global instability, the idea of the Greater Eurasian Partnership is becoming particularly relevant. On the path towards a multipolar world, Eurasia's principal task is to minimise and neutralise the global risks of the transition period. During his address, Vladimir Putin announced the launch of work on a Eurasian Charter of Multipolarity and Diversity.
"The only thing Eurasia needs is indivisible security, the absence of threats and lasting peace," emphasised the head of state.
Vladimir Putin concluded his address with the words "let us live in friendship" and a call to seek paths towards the future together. He expressed confidence that, in the strategic perspective, the global situation would change for the better, but that getting through the current dangerous period is the principal task.
The plenary session of the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club took place on the fourth and final day of the event. For the first time, the Club's flagship event is being held at the National Centre RUSSIA. The broadcast is available on the website and on the National Centre's social media accounts.
Participants in the All-Russian Homeroom Teachers' Forum and the First School Principals' Forum visited the main exposition of the National Centre RUSSIA.