From August 17 to August 20, 2026, the IV International Buddhist Forum "Buddhism in the Dialogue of Cultures: the Future of Mankind" was held in the capital of Tyva, Kyzyl.
The event was organized by the Government of the Republic of Tyva, the Foundation for the Promotion of Buddhist Education and Research, the Central Spiritual Administration of Buddhists of Russia and the Office of the Kambylama of the Republic of Tyva with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation and the Roscongress Foundation.
The event was attended by over 300 delegates from Russia, Mongolia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Japan, Cameroon and other countries. Among them are religious leaders and figures of Buddhism and Hinduism, government officials, representatives of diplomatic missions of foreign countries and the business community, scientists and researchers.
The conference opened on August 18 with a plenary session at which greetings were delivered on behalf of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. 
With the blessing of the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, the DECR Secretary for Interreligious Relations, Priest Ilia Kashitsyn, attended the forum.
On August 19, the DECR representative made a presentation at the section "Interreligious and Interfaith Dialogue in Russia and the World", which was held at Tuva State University. The participants and speakers of the round table also included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, regional authorities, university rectors, religious scholars and religious figures from Russia, China, Mongolia, Malaysia, Cameroon and other countries.
In his speech, Priest Ilia Kashitsyn introduced the participants to the Russian experience of interreligious relations, spoke about the historical context and the current state of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and other religions, including Buddhism, and also mentioned the experience of convening major interreligious events, such as the World Summit of Religious Leaders in Moscow in 2006.