Leaders of Public Diplomacy: Winners of the Latest Regional Stage of the Contest Announced
Real diplomacy begins where an artist preserves the cultural heritage of their people, a film director brings back forgotten pages of history, a teacher unites schoolchildren from different countries, and a volunteer comes to people's aid regardless of state borders.
It was precisely such people that were brought together by the regional stage of the V International Contest “Leader of Public Diplomacy” in the countries of the world's regions that are not part of the Arab, European, Latin American and African countries.
Cultural Diplomacy
Three winners at once represent the field of cultural diplomacy, and each shows how differently culture is able to unite people.
Turkmen master Bakhtiyar Khojaniyazov has for many years been reviving the traditions of ancient ceramics. Moreover, the museum he founded has long become not just an exhibition space but a genuine cultural center. Here young artists get the opportunity to display their works, and visitors from different countries get acquainted with the rich heritage of Turkmenistan. Bakhtiyar's house-museum, in his own words, is a true embodiment of a childhood dream of a fairy tale.
Public figure from Kazakhstan Anar Izden chose her own path. She focuses on humanitarian cooperation. Joint cultural projects with Baikonur, youth forums, literary meetings, educational exchanges, developing partnership with Azerbaijan around the heritage of Korkyt Ata — all this forms a space where culture becomes the basis of mutual trust.
“The highest manifestation of leadership in public diplomacy is to maintain cultural bridges even amid political crises,” she believes.
Tehran University postgraduate Hosna Salimi from Iran, who speaks ten languages, is building her own international platform Nexera Future Horizons. The project is at the final stage of creation, but already today it is conceived as an international platform for cultural diplomacy, uniting young researchers, students and public leaders from different countries.
Memory That Unites Generations
The winner in the “Historical Memory” nomination was Kazakhstani documentary film director Elena Kovardakova.
Over recent years she has created dozens of films dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, including the large-scale projects “Kazakhstan: Heroes of the Great Patriotic War” and the trilogy “The Last Frontier.” Her film crew works in archives, expeditions and at sites of military glory, returning unknown pages of history to society.
At the same time, the director's work has long gone beyond cinema. Meetings with schoolchildren, lessons of courage and open film screenings make documentary cinema a living instrument for preserving historical memory.
When Schools and Universities Become Centers of Educational Diplomacy
In Thailand, the Russian school “Diplomat,” headed by Alexandra Troyan, has long become much more than an educational institution.
Video link-ups between schoolchildren of Russia and Thailand, the international project “Point of Friendship,” federal educational initiatives, the “Total Dictation,” the “Victory Dictation,” chess diplomacy and dozens of joint projects have turned the school into a genuine center of Russia's public diplomacy in Southeast Asia.
“Leadership arises where a person takes responsibility for creating living human connections between cultures,” Alexandra Troyan is convinced.
Young engineer from Turkey Nazife Idilli Ozkol shows that educational diplomacy begins with a personal story. Having moved from Turkey to Bulgaria and then to Russia, she learned Russian from scratch, enrolled at Bauman Moscow State Technical University and defended scientific projects. Nazife inspires young people, especially girls, not to fear the unknown and to build an international career in energy and sustainable development. Her initiatives popularize international education and show that engineering and science have no national borders.
Sports Diplomacy: A Game That Unites
For the president of the public association “People's Council” in Kyrgyzstan, Ivan Ivanov, sport has long become a universal language of communication. Youth projects and joint competitions help young people of different nationalities find common ground faster than any translators. His organization regularly holds tournaments not only in football or rugby, but also in Russian folk games — kila, lapta, gorodki.
“Sport unites more strongly than any words,” the winner in the “Sports Diplomacy” nomination is convinced.
Where Help Is Especially Needed: Volunteering and Charity
For Ani Martirosyan, founder of the “Revival of Hearts” foundation, public diplomacy is measured not by the number of events, but by the number of people who managed to be helped.
The foundation provides humanitarian aid to residents of Armenia, Russia and Nagorno-Karabakh, supports orphanages, implements medical programs and cultural heritage restoration projects.
Public figure from Malaysia Rosni Zahari simultaneously heads the Juwita Foundation, chairs the media company Asia Media Bhd and leads the information division of the women's organization Wanita UMNO Malaysia. Through these platforms Rosni implements programs for developing women's leadership, organizes public discussions and projects on the interaction of local communities. She pays special attention to involving women in public life and strengthening trust between various ethnic and social groups of Malaysia.
Representative of Tajikistan Rustambek Akhmadov develops volunteering in several directions at once. Under his leadership, a network of more than 100 Red Crescent volunteers of the Sughd region has been created to provide assistance. At the same time, he implements digital media projects dedicated to the climate initiative, thanks to which young people learn about Tajikistan's role in the global environmental agenda. Another area of his work is his author's blog and photo projects telling an international audience about the ancient monuments of Panjakent and Sarazm.
“Leadership is responsibility and joint action,” says Rustambek.
