Ashgabat – Beijing, July 28 | ORIENT. Yesterday, July 27, a delegation of young journalists from Turkmenistan took off from Ashgabat International Airport. The weather seemed to have decided to cheer us up before the long journey – clear skies, soft dawn and a feeling of something big and important ahead.

Young, energetic representatives of well-known news resources of Turkmenistan gathered in the departure hall. We were accompanied by an employee of the PRC Embassy in Ashgabat with a very familiar Chinese name Lena (of course, this is not her real name, but our Chinese friends are always ready to make our life easier with pronunciation!).

Lena immediately took on the role of coordinator: clearly, calmly and confidently helped us through all the checkpoints…

The plane turned out to be full – most of the passengers were citizens of the PRC returning home, as well as tourists, including transit passengers from the UK. There was a special mix of languages, cultures and routes in the air – a harbinger of what awaits us in China itself.

After eight hours in the sky, we finally landed at the huge Beijing Capital International Airport – they say the second largest in the world! And although its size was impressive, the Chinese organization did not let us down: passport control and baggage slipped through surprisingly quickly. Shǒudū (also known as Beijing Capital International Airport) is the main hub of the flagship airline Air China.

In the evening, a traditional Chinese dinner with its variety of dishes awaited us, where the incompatible – sweet and spicy, sour and salty – are combined in amazing harmony. And at the neighboring tables, a multilingual speech was heard lively, which confirmed that this was not a dream. That we were really in Beijing.

Well, then: Salam, Celestial Empire! Ni-hao, China!

… Tired from the flight, but charged with incredible impressions, we went to the InterContinental Beijing Beichen hotel to gain strength before the busy program.

Participation in the International Youth Conference

Today, July 28, early in the morning, we were at the headquarters of the Chinese People's Association for the Development of Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), taking part in the World Youth Peace Conference - Youth Leaders Dialogue.

Young journalists, activists and representatives of international and public organizations from more than twenty countries gathered in the conference hall of the Association.

In addition to the hosts and us, the Turkmen delegation, the conference was attended by representatives of the United States of America, the Argentine Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Costa Rica, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of Guatemala, the Republic of Kiribati, etc.

The youth conference in Beijing also attracted the attention of such well-known international organizations as the Grandview Research Institute, the Beijing Center for China and Globalization Studies, the Roots of Peace organization (USA), the Argentine-Chinese Cooperation Association, the Silk Road Youth Forum, etc.

The goal of the event, given the global transformations on our planet, is more than timely and noble - to unite the efforts of young people to find solutions that can strengthen peace and mutual understanding in the modern world.

Opening the session “Consensus for Peace: Voices of Youth in the Global South amid Protracted and Intensifying Geopolitical Conflicts,” Chairman of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Yang Wangming emphasized that the history of the past century is not only a reminder of the tragedies of the two world wars and the Cold War, but also a lesson on how fragile peace is.

"The spirit of war, the desire for unilateral superiority and hegemony, local conflicts - all this has not disappeared even today. But history must move forward. The younger generation must become the bearer of other values - openness, diversity and joint progress. Even if the state is great, it is doomed to disappear if it begins to love war," he noted, citing an ancient Chinese proverb.

Mr. Wangming stressed the need to follow the principles of the United Nations Charter, develop multilateral cooperation and "healthy competition of resources." He also noted that "we need to seek not confrontation, but partnership; not a zero-sum game, but mutual gain."

In his speech, the speaker reminded the conference participants of instructive historical examples - resistance to external aggression, international support for China during World War II, emphasizing that "even states with different systems are capable of uniting to protect universal human values."

During the forum, its participants listened attentively to the speech of the Minister of Youth and Sports of Myanmar, Jen Phan Naw Tong, who noted that today more than one billion one hundred million young people live in the Global South - this is about eighteen percent of the world's population:

"True peace is not only an end to war. It is a space where human rights are respected, where young people have the opportunity to create, develop critical thinking and be part of decision-making processes."

The speaker, speaking about the need to establish peace throughout the world, emphasized that most of the modern armed conflicts occur in the countries of the Global South, including his homeland, which is experiencing the consequences of a civil war that has been ongoing since 2021:

"Without peace, there can be no sustainable economic and social development. We need the creative and constructive participation of young people to break the cycle of violence."

After the plenary session, a panel discussion was held within the framework of the conference, the speakers of which were Minister of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs of the Republic of Kiribati Ruth Marianne Cross Kwansing, Secretary General of the Center for China and Globalization Studies Mabel Miao, President of the Grandview Research Institute Ren Libo, Director of the Roots of Peace organization Tucker Kuhn (USA), Director of the Association of Argentine-Chinese Cooperation Diego Marcos, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth League, Chairman of the Young Pioneers organization of Vietnam Nguyen Pham Duy Trang, member of the Central Committee of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia Lu Navuth, researcher from the University of Costa Rica Susana Viales and others.

The main content of the presentations can be summarized in the following theses:

• Geopolitical conflicts continue to shape the world reality – from protracted wars and economic rivalries to deglobalization trends;

• Many regions of the Global South face development disruptions, instability and growing uncertainty;

• Young people in these regions are among the most vulnerable groups – they experience difficulties related to the digital divide, limited access to quality education, forced displacement and insufficient participation in decision-making processes.

Despite all these challenges, the forum participants noted that young people are increasingly becoming active supporters of peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

The goal of the discussion is to analyze how young people from different regions of the Global South react to the changing geopolitical situation, what obstacles they see, what experience they are ready to share and what innovative solutions they offer.

The participants of the discussion were interested in discussing the global problems that are acute for young people from different countries of the world:

What projects initiated by young people themselves have already contributed to strengthening stability and dialogue?

How can international organizations and national institutions create mechanisms for the real participation of young people in peacebuilding and global governance processes?

How can initiatives in the field of ecology, education or entrepreneurship become points of contact for long-term cooperation between countries? etc. etc.

The speech of Velimyrat Ovezov, member of the Central Council and head of the Department of Culture and Mass Media of the Magtymguly Youth Organization, attracted special attention of the participants of the World Conference.

The head of the Turkmen delegation noted that the youth of Turkmenistan actively participates in international initiatives related to strengthening peace and sustainable development, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming global event:

"This year, our country is preparing to host the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. The conference will include a separate youth session, which is an important step in involving young people in a dialogue on the future of the entire region."

During a short break, the participants continued to share their thoughts on how young people can change the world for the better? What needs to be done?

And we asked Velimyrat Ovezov about this on the sidelines of the forum. To which he, in a comment for ORIENT, said that Turkmen youth consider themselves not only as part of the national society, but also as an active participant in the international community:

“We see our mission in promoting peace and stability not only within the country, but also in the entire Central Asian region. Our youth are already implementing projects aimed at developing education, environmental culture and digital technologies. These initiatives can become a link between countries and an example of the constructive contribution of the Global South to global cooperation,” he said.

Today, we are expecting more events, and we will try to cover them in more detail so that you, the readers of ORIENT, will find them interesting.

With respect to you -

Dzhumadurdy POTJIMOV,

Enedzhan KEPBANOVA