So far, 17,100 people and 3,400 representatives from 136 countries including Turkey have confirmed their participation in SPIEF.
The organizers of the Forum note that participation indicators have reached pre-Covid levels: the period of restoration of economic activity is over, and the Forum is in a growth phase. As a communication tool, it is in demand by the global business community.
Today, SPIEF is one of the sovereign centers for the development of Europe, which is a historical restructuring that implements the mission of maintaining the global balance of power and building a multipolar international system. It also provides conditions for development based on the continental and constructive development of the day, dictated by the national interests of the Russian Federation. The forum has become a full-fledged institute for national growth.
The business program covers a wide range of issues: from the development of international economic relations and technological transformations to priority science research the studies of the modern society. The headline of the 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is “The basis of multipolarity causes the growth of new centers.”
On the eve of SPIEF, several conferences are held annually in different countries. This year, the final session took place in the capital of the Republic of Costa Rica – San Jose. The location was not chosen by chance – it was Costa Rica that became the first country in Central America to establish official diplomatic contacts with Russia back in 1872. Over the more than 150-year history of relations, a strong bond has been established between the two governments.
In Russia, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held from June 5 to 8.
In reality, the problem that lies at the root of the Cyprus problem and needs to be solved is the problem of ‘trust’.
The number of Turkish Cypriots who sincerely trust the Greek Cypriots and Greeks is almost negligible.
The roots of this mistrust go back to the early 20th century, but if we leave the past in the past and return to the present, we see that nothing has changed since then.
As you know, the Greek Cypriots prevent all kinds of initiatives that will mention the name of the TRNC, that will bring the TRNC to the top and that will give the Turkish Cypriots a breath of fresh air. This includes touristic visits, economic and scientific activities.
The Greek Cypriots are doing their best to isolate from the world the state that the Turkish Cypriots, who were subjected to a genocide between 1955 and 1974, similar to the genocide in Gaza today, managed to establish – as a result of their liberation in 1974 with the help and support of the motherland Turkey -.
The Greeks, who have been terminating the negotiations that have been going on since 1968 to establish a so-called common state with the Turkish Cypriots, each time with a megalomaniacal attitude and with lame excuses, overturning the table and leaving, today, as if they were not the ones who left the negotiation table, they are trying to get the Turkish Cypriots to sit at the table, they are travelling from door to door and trying every way to put pressure on Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Recently, they did everything in their power to prevent our President Ersin Tatar from travelling to Australia and meeting with Australian local administrators and government members.
They tried to do so, but this time they were not successful and for the first time a TRNC President was welcomed, hosted and visited Australia as ‘President’, even if not officially.
The Greek Cypriots, who prevented the Turkish Cypriots from participating in international sports competitions, prevented the Turkish Cypriots from connecting to the world with direct flights, prevented the Turkish Cypriots from becoming an ‘observer’ member of the Organisation of Turkic States established by states of Turkish descent, and plotted all kinds of intrigues to prevent the Turkish Cypriots from establishing academic, commercial, industrial, social and cultural ties with the states of the world, have run out of credit, and it has become impossible for them to expect love and respect from the Turkish Cypriots.
Although the UN representatives meet with the anti-TRNC people in the TRNC and present them as the general opinion of the Turkish Cypriots, the vast majority of the Turkish Cypriots do not want to establish a common state with the Greek Cypriots, who have been carrying out armed, economic and political attacks to destroy them for the last century, and where they will be relegated to minority status like the Maronites, Armenians and Latins after a while.
The inhumane practices of the Atlantic Alliance, which isolates them from the world and does not recognise laws and rules, has been a great lesson to the Turkish Cypriots about who they can trust.
The Atlantic Alliance, which has been providing financial and arms support to the terrorist formation operating under the names of PKK, YPG and similar names in the territory of North East Syria for years, is now trying to give legal status to their existence by supporting them to hold local elections illegally, but unfortunately, it has not imposed any sanctions to be taken seriously on the rulers of the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’, Greek Cypriots and Greece, who declared the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ by overthrowing the internationally recognised ‘Republic of Cyprus’ by staging a coup d’état in Cyprus on 15 July 1974 and declared the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ and announced the annexation of the island of Cyprus to Greece the next day. (Turkey, which saved the Turkish Cypriots from genocide and extinction, was subjected to an ‘arms and financial embargo’ immediately after the 1974 Peace Operation). In the United Nations Organisation, of which they are the protector and founder, they took the decision dated 18 November 1983 and numbered 541, which is a disgrace to humanity, isolating the Turkish Cypriots from the world.
Now, while they are trying to illegally create a terrorist state in North East Syria, which will be completely under their control, I leave it to you to interpret the aim of bringing together two communities that have fought each other and whose anger has not subsided on the island where the world’s longest-lasting conflict is taking place, and giving the administration to the Greeks. Here, there is a 41-year-old state with all its institutions – not counting the Federated State – and there is an attempt to have terrorists establish a state there!
What kind of global justice is this? Who, why and how should we trust?
Prof. Dr. (Civil Engineer), Assoc. Prof. Dr. (UA. Relations) Ata ATUN
Member of the Advisory Board of the TRNC President
Recently, a number of official sources have published the information confirming that the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has purchased a multi-channel VARAN complex from Seven Hills LLP. The VARAN system is mainly known for wiretapping phones, intercepting and jamming any radio signals. Nothing could seem extraordinary at first glance, given the deal value at modest 340K tenge (800 USD).
However, regardless the most possible scenario that the supply is going to be on a regular basis, it is not the prices that draws attention to the deal, but the sides involved in it. The manufacturer and chief executor of the contract is the Ukrainian company Ualeks (www.ualeks.com) that produces similar equipment for the Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
One may wonder why such important and needed equipment in the war-torn country is being sold abroad, and why do the Ukrainian authorities allow it? Needless to say, that Ukraine has been fighting desperately with almost no resources of its own. The aid from the Western countries that was generous at first months of the special military operation is now very limited, as the United States may no longer support Kyiv due to many other strategic operations it is pursuing in the Middle East.
Ukraine is better to tight up the belts and concentrate on its national tasks rather than search for blur profit and support by former CIS countries in return of technologies. At the moment, Ukraine needs them more. Unless the country’s government is only interested in getting quick money and short-term profit.
I believe that this information will be of interest to our esteemed readers. That’s why I’m reprinting it. The information below is not my investigation. It was published by one of the X users and as I see seems very trustworthy. I do deal with the issues in our region, especially with the problem of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I know quite well the roots of the Karabakh conflict as well. And I’m aware of Ruben Vardanyan’s illegal activities in the territory of Azerbaijan.
For those who need a bit more information, Ruben Vardanyan alongside other criminal separatist elements of Karabakh was stopped and brought to Baku to be investigated. He is among those who fueled ethnic hatred between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. He was arrested after a 1-day local anti-terror operation led by the Azerbaijani military on September 19-20, 2023. Before that, he and others were called to lay down arms and cease. But they continuously ignored peaceful calls. Then Azerbaijan had to launch an anti-terror operation, which resulted in success.
Now let’s see who this friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a perpetrator of crimes even in Ukraine Ruben Vardanyan is.
Backed by Kremlin Ruben Vardanyan was very sure that he will not be punished…
GENERAL INFORMATION
Ruben Vardanyan, born in Yerevan on 25 May 1968, is a Russian oligarch of Armenian descent, a billionaire, and former minister of the state of the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”, an entity not recognized anywhere in the world.
Vardanyan was the initiator, one of the founders, and the first president of the Moscow School of Management in Skolkovo. President Vladimir Putin attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the campus in 2006.
According to the Washington Times, Vardanyan is a friend of Vladimir Putin.
Ruben Vardanyan with the Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vardanyan was once the head and main partner of Troika Dialog, an investment company that created an extensive network of offshore companies involved in money laundering from Russia. Since 2011, Forbes has included him in its ranking of Russia’s richest people.
In September 2021, Ruben Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship but continued to actively participate in Russian business, where his partner is the head of ROSTEC, Sergei Chemezov. Together they hold positions on the Board of Directors of KAMAZ OJSC and receive significant payments for their work. In addition, Vardanyan owns a stake in the car manufacturer KAMAZ through a consortium of investors in which ROSTEC also participates.
In 2018, Vardanyan’s foundation and a subsidiary of ROSTEC invested in facial recognition technology by buying shares in the company. In addition, Vardanyan was a former co-owner of Avtovaz, but sold his stake for $180 million in 2013, remaining in partnership with ROSTEC.
SKOLKOVO PROJECT
Back in 2009, well-known Russian opposition actor Alexei Navalny (now dead) investigated Skolkovo’s financing scheme and noted in his blog that, despite Vardanyan’s statement about the charitable nature of Skolkovo, the school’s project was estimated at $500 million, with half of that amount coming from the founders’ donations and the remaining $250 million coming as a loan from Sberbank.
“The loan was granted under unclear conditions and with unclear guarantees. Both the Skolkovo school and Sberbank categorically refuse to disclose the terms of the loan,” Navalny said.
“The construction of the Skolkovo school was financed from the funds of the state-owned Sberbank, and no one was going to pay back the money, but Vardanyan and the rest of the gang of tycoons told the naive public and journalists that this was a very “cute” commercial project”, Navalny added.
ORGANIZED CRIME AND CORRUPTION REPORTING PROJECT (OCCRP) ABOUT TROIKA DIALOG
For more than two decades, Ruben Vardanyan was the face of Western-style investment banking as the founder of Troika Dialog during the birth of Russian capitalism, with successes that earned him billionaire status and ties to the Kremlin.
The system dubbed the Troika Laundromat by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, involved at least 75 offshore companies and exported about $4.8 billion between 2006 and 2013, often through fictional deals, with the help of a now-defunct Lithuanian bank, according to the OCCRP’s investigative journalists.
Sergey Roldugin, a cellist and friend of Vladimir Putin, was among the ultimate recipients of the funds.
While Vardanyan wasn’t personally accused of wrongdoing, he was president, chief executive officer, and chairman of Troika during this period, as well as its main partner. According to the OCCRP, he used the bank to pay millions of dollars in personal expenses.
In March of 2019, the European Parliament members wrote a letter to the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, in which they stated the need to introduce sanctions against the ex-owner of Troika Dialog Ruben Vardanyan and others linked to Troika Dialog’s “offshore eco-system”. The letter was signed by 22 MEPs representing Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, and other countries.
VARDANYAN’S INVOLVEMENT IN AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE
Known for his active pro-Russian stance, Ruben Vardanyan was included in the Ukrainian “Peacekeeper” sanctions database for his assistance to the Russian invaders and his involvement in crimes committed by the Russian authorities against Ukraine and its citizens. He is also accused of denying and publicly justifying Russian aggression and financing military actions in the post-Soviet space. The list designates him as a person subject to “immediate arrest and transfer to the law enforcement authorities of Ukraine and NATO countries”.
Bob Blackman, a Conservative member of the British parliament, said Vardanyan was an accomplice to aggression against Ukraine. “We have to understand that this is someone who has been sanctioned as part of Russia’s involvement in Ukraine, and it is believed that Russia is trying to strengthen its capabilities in terms of its war effort. His companies have been well used and well involved in the whole process of expanding the military presence in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh”, the British MP said.
Vardanyan also has links with Tehran, which is helping Moscow in its regular attacks on Ukraine. His ties to Iran can be traced through Russia’s Gorchakov Foundation, which organizes events in various countries, including Armenia, with government-approved speakers from Tehran.
In September 2022, Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship to avoid Western sanctions, but Ukraine included him on its sanctions list for providing logistical support to the Russian occupation army.
IN THE TERRITORY OF AZERBAIJAN
After renouncing his Russian citizenship to avoid Western sanctions, Vardanyan came to “power” in Karabakh and illegally seized copper, molybdenum, and gold deposits in the region, which belongs to Azerbaijan. The resources, guarded by the Russian peacekeepers, were plundered in violation of environmental regulations. The Azerbaijani authorities demanded that experts be given access to the deposits, but this was repeatedly blocked.
According to Canada’s Geopolitical Monitor, the Kremlin appointed Vardanyan to the post of “Minister of State of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh” in order to thwart the European Union’s potential success in reaching a peace agreement.
Bulgarian National Radio noted that Vardanyan was engaged in active propaganda that did not contribute to the resolution of the conflict between Baku and Yerevan.
There are reasonable grounds to suspect that Vardanyan has committed offenses under Articles 214-1 (Financing terrorism), 279.3 (Participation in the creation and activities of paramilitary groups or groups not provided for by law), and 318.1 (Illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
Amidst the global turbulence and the era of information there is a high risk to lose the historical heritage both material and the one that’s in our memories. For instance, the causes and the consequences of the World War II are often being retold in not a very true way – each country and each side has their own truth while the current confrontation between the West and the East adds some facts, often without any proof.
To save the history and keep it undeformed international experts from the Western and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Russia gathered at the World Youth Festival for the discussion.
The event was also attended by teachers and students of Russian universities, as well as invited representatives from Spain, Serbia, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan, who specialize in the history of the Second World War.
During the discussion, Iker Bas, a leader of the organization Asociacion Sanchode Beurko Elkartea (Spain, involved in military reconstruction), said that, despite the tragedy of the civil war in Spain during the Second World War, it was difficult for him, like other Spaniards, to understand the suffering the peoples of the USSR came through, the people, who paid for the liberation of Europe with millions of lives. This feat of self-sacrifice of the Russian people must not be forgotten. Spain also respects history and hopes for cooperation in preserving the memory of The World War II.
According to Aleksa Gajic, the coordinator of the “Immortal Regiment” action in Belgrade, the Serbs remember and appreciate the fact that it was the Red Army that made a key contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies in the European theater of operations. At the same time, currently in the countries of Europe, mainly the Eastern Europe, there is a growing trend towards the fight against monuments to Soviet soldiers, which requires censure and condemnation, including the involvement of international organizations. In Serbia itself, the People’s Liberation War of Yugoslavia holds the same place in history and culture as the World War II for the peoples of the USSR.
Sergey Danilyuk, the head of the military-historical association of Moldova “DOT” and the head of the national search center of Kyrgyzstan “Memory of the People” Romanova Tatyana focused the attention of those present on the lessons that future generations should learn from the tragedy of the Second World War. At the same time, it is ignorance and distortion of history that currently lead to conflict situations, including military actions.
In general, the dialogue that took place made it possible to determine the prospects for further joint activities to preserve the historical memory of the victory over Nazism in the 20th century.
The youth today must understand the conditions under which the post-war world order took shape and thanks to which, the only wish for a peaceful sky has been very clear for several decades of peaceful life.
The festival which brought together participants from 188 countries, became a platform where representatives of other states shared their experience in preserving the historical memory of the Second World War.
The path to a multipolar world, self-realization of youth for the sake of the future and Russia’s openness to a dialogue with all countries are the main agenda highlights of the educational marathon Knowledge.First, which was held from March 2 to 6 on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival in Sochi. Over five days, 137 lecturers shared their knowledge with young leaders from 188 countries, of which 20 were representatives of Austria, Afghanistan, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Serbia, Turkey, and Thailand. With their speeches, discussions, and master classes, the lecturers inspired over 5,000 young participants who gathered at the venue of the Festival.
As the members from the foreign delegations noted, the marathon Knowledge.First has shown that Russia is open to cooperation, that it is truly a country of opportunity. Speeches by outstanding experts helped young people learn about trends, promising areas, and important projects in which they can take part and contribute to their development. Russians learned more about international initiatives and had the opportunity to meet their favorite idols.
“The marathon has become one of the main events of the World Youth Festival, a place for dialogue between young leaders and mentors from around the world. During their presentations, the lecturers talked about the key values of our country, unity, and the importance of intercultural and interethnic dialogue. What is especially important is that the marathon participants received honest, sincere answers to their questions… I am sure that from the World Youth Festival has brought knowledge that in the future will help young participants make a contribution to building a fair, safe multipolar world,” noted Maxim Dreval, summing up the results of the Knowledge.First marathon.
The growing number of BRICS members and the powerful potential of their educational systems open up ample opportunities for the exchange of experience, both between the teaching staff of educational institutions and between students.
An important aspect for expanding such interaction is supporting the development of camps for children and youth as a unique format of out-of-school education and socialization. Fahrettin Gozet, President of the International Camping Fellowship, Turkey, elaborated on this.
“Russia is a country that ranks first in the number of children’s camps. Among them are “Artek”, “Orlyonok”, “Smena”, “Ocean”. When I came to Sochi after the Olympic Games, I was very inspired by the idea of the Sirius camp, by the fact that all these talented and hardworking youth received a platform to gather together. And all over the world in different countries I talked about this camp, because it is a wonderful project, said Fahrettin Gozet.
The Knowledge.First marathon program was supplemented by the VK Day lecture hall, where stand-up comedians, athletes, and musicians popular among young people talked about humor, the development of social networks, shared the secrets of creating interesting content, and told how to make your dream come true and achieve popularity.
All six sites of the Marathon were filled with young people, the guys actively communicated in different languages, took pictures with speakers, shared impressions with journalists from major media outlets, discussed the speeches they heard. The marathon tracks were in tune with the meanings of the Festival: “Responsibility for the fate of the world”, “Multinational unity”, “A world of opportunities for everyone”, “Let’s save the family in the name of children and peace” and “We are together with Russia”.
Along with the educational marathon Knowledge.First, within the framework of the educational program of the World Youth Festival, the Knowledge Society organized the intellectual tournament Knowledge.Game with the participation of scholars from different countries, screenings of performances together with the Tavrida Art Cluster, a film lecture Znanie.Kino, where spectators from all over the world got acquainted with legendary Russian films and discussed them with famous actors and directors.
Also, a multimedia exhibition of the National Photo Competition Knowledge.Russia was organized for Festival participants, giving the opportunity to see the main achievements of modern Russia and immerse themselves in their atmosphere using augmented reality technology.
Now, on March 10, the regional program of the Russian Society “Knowledge” starts as part of the World Youth Festival, which will be held until March 17 in all eight federal districts of the Russian Federation. The children will enjoy more than 200 educational events, including speeches, discussions, and master classes by authoritative lecturers from various fields. The program will unite Russians from regions of the country and foreign participants of the World Youth Festival, who will travel across Russia as part of several teams. Guests from different countries will have the opportunity to get acquainted with their Russian peers, the culture of our country and the achievements of the regions.
