The grand opening of the International Youth Forum "The Cossacks — Through the Ages" took place in the Pashkov House of the Russian State Library. A prayer was performed before the start of the event.
The opening ceremony was attended by the head of the press service of the Synodal Committee for Cooperation with the Cossacks, Priest Tikhon Lazutkin, confessor of the Union of Cossack Youth of Russia. He read out the greetings of Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk, Chairman of the Synodal Committee.
In his address, the archpastor noted the special importance of the continuity of historical memory and the transmission of Cossack traditions to the younger generation.
"The very name of the forum — "The Cossacks — through the Ages" — reminds us that the Cossacks are alive not only by their past, but also by their ability to pass this past from generation to generation. The library where you are gathered today is a place that preserves the memory of the past, but at the same time it is a place facing the future: after all, a book, a document, an electronic archive make sense only when there is someone who will open them and become involved in the inherited knowledge," says Metropolitan Kirill's greeting.
Alexey Kirichenko, Executive Secretary of the Council for Cossacks under the President of the Russian Federation, also welcomed the forum participants. He read out an address by Dmitry Mironov, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Council, in which the importance of the forum for preserving historical memory and countering the distortion of national history was emphasized.
The ataman of the All-Russian Cossack Society, Vitaly Kuznetsov, addressed the youth. He recalled that the Russian Cossacks had served the Fatherland for centuries, remained faithful to duty, respect for elders and responsibility for the fate of the Motherland. According to the chieftain, the growing interest of young people in the history and culture of the Cossacks is becoming the key to the preservation and further development of Cossack traditions.
The opening ceremony was attended by Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Council for Cossacks under the President of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency for Nationalities, the All-Russian Cossack Society, the Central Cossack Army, the Union of Cossacks of Russia and other public associations.
The cultural program of the opening included a theatrical production of the Central Museum of the Russian Cossacks "At the Samovar. ""Traditions of Cossack hospitality", a thematic photo zone "Visiting the Cossacks" and a patriotic campaign "Open letter: love for the Motherland".
The International Youth Forum is designed to bring together young people interested in the history and culture of the Russian Cossacks, promote the preservation of spiritual and moral traditions, strengthen intergenerational ties and foster a responsible attitude towards the historical heritage of the Fatherland.