Media forum in Astrakhan advances intercultural dialogue in the Caspian region

Pavel Pautov, Head of Administration for the Governor of the Astrakhan Region, highlighted the forum's expansion. "Last year, the central theme was the sphere of tourism; now it is culture. We attract the journalistic community to discuss specific issues of the region's development. We hold this event to create a common agenda for the dialogue among the five Caspian countries," he said.

Mikhail Petrakov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Head of the Russian delegation to the Multilateral Negotiations emphasized the necessity of intercultural dialogue in international relations.

"These tools allow us to understand the interests of our partners and treat them with respect. Accordingly, if we have established intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and trust, we will aim for success in all other spheres," the diplomat noted.

In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, Lana Ravandi-Fadai, an Iran specialist at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, underscored the importance of cultural dialogue in interstate relations.

"One can build diplomatic relations for centuries, but at the same time not know the mentality and culture of partners. When relations between different countries develop, such ignorance often pushes the parties away from each other," the expert explained.

Iran's Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, addressed the plenary session titled "The Dialogue of Cultures as the Basis for the Caspian Development." "For us, the Caspian Sea is a space of friendship and peace. Good-neighbourly relations should be based on the cultures of ancient civilizations. Thus, the role of cultural figures and media plays a key role, so this forum is of great importance," the ambassador said.

The Iranian consulate general in Astrakhan also highlighted the significance of the Caspian region in Tehran's foreign policy. "Iran's Foreign Ministry has a department for the development of the Caspian region. This explains our interest in the media forum, in which our delegation takes part every year," the diplomat said, as reported by TV Brics.

Media interaction emerged as a central theme of the forum, with discussions centred on the role of media and information technologies. A proposal was put forward to create an international media platform, "Caspian Today," which would broadcast in Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Russian, Turkmen, Farsi, and English.

Pavel Pautov suggested that the new media centre's headquarters be based in the region's capital. "At the heart of strong relations between the countries is the interaction between the media. If the media establish constructive cooperation with each other, all other spheres, be it culture or economy, will develop effectively," Zaman Rezakhani, Director for International Relations at Iran's IRNA news agency, told TV BRICS in an exclusive commentary.

Since its inception in 2014, the Caspian Media Forum has included a range of activities, such as plenary sessions, discussions, a master class for investigative journalists, and the Caspian Without Borders contest awards.

The forum was organized with support from the Government of the Astrakhan Region, the Administration of the President of Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS countries, the Caspian-Eurasia Centre for International and Socio-Political Studies, and the North-South Political Science Centre.