Maria Zakharova on the Fields of the WYF-2024: "We Do Not Paint Everyone with the Same Paint"

The World Youth Festival is a unique global scale event, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, March 6, during a press conference at the World Youth Festival.

Starting the meeting with journalists, Maria Zakharova shared her personal feelings. 

"It's a unique format that takes place every few years. I spoke with participants, representatives of official delegations, representatives of civil society. They say: let's figure out something to make the communication that is born on this platform grow into something bigger. So maybe there will be some new inputs," Maria Zakharova shared.

She also shared that she was able to speak with WWII veterans who were participants in the Festival of Youth and Students 1957, who were invited as guests of honor this year. 

"We met by chance, discussed recent events, they compared modern festival with the festival in 1957. I was assured that the event has now, indeed, been taken to a new level. Modern people have much more communication capabilities than they did 60-70 years ago. Despite the fact that worldwide communication has become more accessible, this includes travel and Internet communication, the Festival offers a unique modern format," emphasized Maria Zakharova. March 6 is the day "We stand together with Russia".

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, most countries around the world welcomed the event immediately after the WYF-2024 was announced. National preparatory committees have been established in 95 capitals of the world and more than 300,000 applications have been received. As a result, we succeeded in organizing an event of global world scale. It's one of the most colorful records of the Festival. 

"I would like to emphasize especially: no segregation. Children from countries we labeled as unfriendly regimes wanted to come to us – and they did. We don't smear everyone with the same paint, we don't politicize humanitarian ties. We denote what really takes place – destructive policy of certain political circles, and at the same time we say that we are always open to everyone who comes to us in peace, so the event is visited by young people from all continents, from the U.S., Canada, the EU," Maria Zakharova emphasized.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry spoke separately about the 7th Global Forum of Young Diplomats "Russia and its Role in Formatting the Global World". She emphasized that this forum came into being thanks to the efforts of Russian diplomats and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs many years ago and became a response to the challenges faced by our country, among others, when it was declared "isolated". 

According to Maria Zakharova, the forum was attended by 150 people from 65 countries. The opening of the Forum Secretariat took place, communication with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bilateral and trilateral working meetings, a chess tournament and a soccer match were held. 

"Whatever the painful thoughts of the representatives of the collective West, children, young people will meet in different formats and in the spheres of their professions. They have an interest, unlike members of the older generation of EU countries. Their young people, young diplomats come to our country, take part in forums, get information from us, ask questions, share their point of view. EU ambassadors are blocking themselves, despite the fact that their work is directly related to contacts with official Moscow and the Foreign Ministry. You understand what I am talking about: the refusal of EU ambassadors to meet with the Russian Foreign Minister," Maria Zakharova emphasized.

__________

The World Youth Festival is taking place at the Sirius Federal Territory from March 1 to 7, 2024, as per the decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at fostering international youth cooperation.

The Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) is the organizer of the World Youth Festival, with the Directorate of the World Youth Festival serving as the operator for WYF-2024.