International organizations: “Valdai” Discussion Club brings the history and future of Russia into central focus

7th meeting of the International Discussion Club “Valdai” kicked off on August 31. The most part of the conference will be held en route from St. Petersburg to Kizhi and Valaam. High on the agenda is “Russia: History and Future development”.

The meeting of the club will bring together leading experts from 15 countries of Europe, North America, Asia who study politics, economics and history of Russia. Reports will be delivered by world-famous historians specializing in Russian history – Richard Pipes, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, Geoffrey Hosking and many others.

“For 6 years Valdai annual discussions have been providing a unique chance to its foreign participants. Suffice it to say that no other state I know gives foreign experts an opportunity to come, debate with professional colleagues as well as meet with senior officials of the country”, – highlighted Angela Stent, famous American specialist on Russian Studies.

The event will be open up to September 7. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko are expected to attend the conference. Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin will join the talks on their final day.

Sessions of the International “Valdai” Discussion Club, organized by the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti jointly with The Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the journals Russia Profile.org and Russia in Global Politics and The Moscow News newspaper, have been hosted every year since 2004. The annual Valdai Club aims to create an international expert forum, where the leading foreign specialists on Russian studies will have an opportunity to receive the most authoritative and reliable information about the development of our country and society from the leading members of Russian élite both in the center and in regions.