On 20‒24 November 2015, the Sixth World Youth Forum of Russian Compatriots dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory took place in Sofia.
The Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Bulgaria together with the “Union of Compatriots” Federation and the National Society “Together with Russia” have been hosting annual international youth forums “Youth Building the Future” since 2010. Each forum is an effective platform for communication between young Russian compatriots and heads of largest compatriot organizations from Europe, CIS and Russia. The World Youth Forum in Bulgaria brought together delegations from 72 countries and several Russian regions. It was one of the largest platforms for youth abroad.
The 2015 forum under the slogan “Great Victory Remembered by Many Generations” was organized with the support of the Government Commission on Compatriots Living Abroad, the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia’s Embassy to Bulgaria, the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, the Rossotrudnichestvo federal agency, the Foundation for Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad and the Russkiy Mir Foundation. The event was attended by numerous official guests.
In 2015, the youth forum in Sofia was no longer an event for Europe and the CIS; it was a world forum dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Pavel Zhuravlyov, Head of the Department of Humanitarian Cooperation and Youth Policy at Rossotrudnichestvo, noted that the forum was a platform for compatriots from around the world who help promote the new image of Russia by developing their own projects.
The festival included a very moving event entitled “The Wall of Memory: The Immortal Regiment.” Every participant had a chance to write the name of their relative who saw that terrible war. Compatriots observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the victims of the Great Patriotic War and terror attacks that took place over the past year.
Speeches from youth activists who took the floor after the officials showed that young people understand how important it is to preserve historical truth and memory.
The forum was also focused on cooperation with Russian regions, the activities of Russian-language media abroad and youth policies.
Delegates laid flowers at the legendary memorial to the Soviet Army in Plovdiv, known as Alyosha, and released white balloons into the sky to honor the memory of war victims.
The forum resulted in a resolution stating that one cannot build the future without recognizing one’s history.
