The Russian-Austrian Civil Society Forum "Sochi Dialogue" celebrates one year since its creation!
The Presidents of Russia and Austria, Vladimir Putin and Alexander van der Bellen, personally launched the Forum. During the meeting, the co-chairman of the Forum from the Russian side, Andrey Fursenko, said: "We should neither duplicate nor replace the existing structures that ensure cooperation between Russia and Austria. But we can complement these institutions. We have planned activities that have not yet taken place up to this point." During the year of its existence, the forum has proved to be a unique platform for interaction between the civil societies of Russia and Austria, corresponding to modern trends.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sochi Dialogue has transferred its activities to an online format. A series of online lectures on Austrian culture was launched, as well as discussions with prominent representatives of the Austrian society.
Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lubinsky noted the positive work of the Forum: "The Sochi dialogue fully justifies the hopes and becomes one of the main pillars of the development of bilateral relations in various fields."
We suggest reading about the events of the forum, as well as about the planned events, in the Forbes article, where we summed up the interim results of our activities and talked about our future plans. We also invite you to watch our festive video dedicated to the Birthday of the Sochi Dialogue!