MOSCOW 21 November 2018 — As part of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) thrust to engage other ministries in various formats, junior Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) took part in the Second Global Forum of Young Diplomats from 11 to 15 November 2018 in the seaside city of Sochi in Russia.
Principal Assistants Adrian Audrey L. Baccay and Monica Remsy S. Calañgian from the Office of Strategic Communications and Research and Office of Middle East and Africa Affairs, respectively, joined the Philippine Embassy in Moscow’s Third Secretary and Vice Consul Catherine F. Alpay and Cultural Officer Vida Cara at the Forum. It was attended by 135 delegates aged 25 to 35 from 60 countries, and organized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Council of Young Diplomats (CYD).
“We welcome the efforts of the Russian Foreign Ministry in bringing together young diplomats of diverse backgrounds and providing them with a platform to discuss issues in an open and friendly manner,” Vice Consul Alpay said.
Ms. Calangian added that, “the Forum gave me an opportunity to meet my counterparts from Russia, ASEAN, the Middle East, and Africa. I hope that the linkages we have established would continue as we climb the career ladder of our respective agencies and become decision makers in our own countries.”
The Forum featured various sessions including on diplomacy and media, the Russian conception of “horizontal diplomacy,” and economic diplomacy in Russia.
Aside from remarks by Russian CYD chair Konstantin Kolpakov, former International Space Station commander Sergey Ryazanskiy, and representatives from Russian media organizations Rossiya Segodnya, RT and Ruptly, participants were also treated to a tour of the Sochi Olympic Park as well as cultural performances during the welcome and closing receptions.
“I look forward to sharing my experiences and the best practices I learned during the Global Forum of Young Diplomats with my peers in the DFA so we can maximize the opportunities of youth diplomacy beyond the corridors of the Department,” Mr. Baccay said.
The second Global Forum is a continuation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s 2017 initiative to bring together young diplomats from all over the world and foster greater communication and understanding among the future leaders of their respective countries.
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