Truth is shaped through open dialogue: international experts on the January Expert Dialogues at the National Centre RUSSIA

---

An important and timely format for international dialogue — this is how international experts described the January Expert Dialogues held on 30 January at the National Centre RUSSIA. As part of the event, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, Maxim Oreshkin, presented five megatrends that define the trajectory of global development for the coming decades.

According to Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine (USA), Wang Feng, the modern world is changing rapidly — both technologically and geopolitically. He explained that the format of the January Expert Dialogues is one of the key channels for understanding, reflecting on and discussing these processes, ranging from global population ageing and demographic decline to the shift of economic centres and the emergence of a new technological era.

"We are experiencing large-scale changes in terms of technology and geography, and economic centres are shifting. That is why it is critically important for all of us to come together and openly discuss these issues on platforms like this," said Professor Wang Feng.

Global strategist, bestselling author and cosmopolitan, Founder and CEO of AlphaGeo, Dr. Parag Khanna, expressed his gratitude to the organisers for the opportunity to take part in the event. He emphasised that the Open Dialogue format, bringing together people from all over the world, is a contribution to shared development.

"A wide range of issues is discussed here — technology, politics, institutions, migration, demography, productivity, artificial intelligence and much more. These issues are extremely important. There is no single dominant narrative for them. The truth is that the future is shaped through major historical processes and through dialogue, in which we learn to listen to one another," Parag Khanna believes.

According to Dr. Rais Hussin (Malaysia), CEO of EMIR Research, the world is undergoing an intense geo-economic shift — from high concentration and the dominance of individual centres to a more multi-level and complex system. The international format of the January Expert Dialogues is extremely valuable for all participants.

"From my point of view, such events are of great significance. We are witnessing profound global changes — both technological and structural. It is important that experts, scholars and practitioners from around the world have a platform where they can openly discuss their ideas and the transition from a unipolar world model to a multipolar one, with multiple centres of development. It is critically important not only to hold such events, but also to achieve practical outcomes that can benefit everyone," emphasised Rais Hussin.

The January Expert Dialogues are part of the Open Dialogue programme. The event was initiated by the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise "Third Rome", with the support of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation.

Lectures by international speakers from the January Expert Dialogues are available on the official website of the National Centre RUSSIA in the "Livestreams and Videos" section.