The Valdai International Discussion Club has become a wide-ranging platform for dialogue with Russian experts, German participants in the forum said on Wednesday.
"The Club offers a wonderful opportunity for establishing new ties and maintaining current contacts. Today it is impossible to imagine the gamut of international conferences and forums without the Valdai Club," said Alexander Rahr, director of the Russia-Eurasia Center at the German Council on Foreign Relations.
His view was shared by Prof. Dr. Michael Sturmer, chief correspondent for Die Welt, who said that "Valdai meetings offer an excellent opportunity to fathom Russia with all its contradictions."
The German participants welcomed the "historical" angle of the current agenda.
This year's talks, headlined "Russia: History and Future Development," began with a fierce debate on whether the future of Russia is historically predetermined by a number of constant factors, including the strong tradition of absolute rule as the only means to deal with the state's strategic tasks.
"Personally I am happy with this historical spin of the dialogue. A culture of profound historical memory prevails in Germany while in Russia it is the moral principle of recurring oblivion and forgiveness," Rahr said.
"Which of the approaches is the right one is a topic that we will discuss here."
The discussion brought together prominent experts on Russia from 15 European countries, the United States and Asia.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko are also expected to attend the event. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will join the talks on their final day, September 7.
The Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti, in conjunction with the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the journals Russia Profile and Russia in Global Affairs, and The Moscow News paper, has hosted the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting every year since 2004.
The annual Valdai Club aims to create an international expert forum where key international Russia specialists can receive reliable information about the growth and development of Russia and its society.
MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti)
