Syrian-Russian Youth Forum discusses national identity and belonging’s role in facing challenges and building united society

Lattakia, (ST)  – The participants in the Syrian-Russian Youth Forum yesterday, on its second day, discussed the concepts of national identity and belonging and the role of strengthening national identity in increasing the ability to face challenges and build a more united and cohesive society with the ability to withstand and continue in the most difficult circumstances.

Dr. Aqeel Mahfoud, a professor at the University of Damascus said that identity is a global problem that appears in countries suffering from internal crises, wars, or external challenges, and in societies of multiple religions, sects, and ethnicities.

Therefore, it was necessary to highlight the importance of managing Syrian diversity to build a comprehensive national identity and promote coexistence under the the difficult situation that Syria is going through.

In turn, Maestro Misak Bagburdian, conductor of the Syrian National Symphony stressed the great role that music plays as a universal language in strengthening people’s belonging and national identity and in exporting it in a correct way.

He reviewed the symphony’s experience during the terrorist war on Syria despite the difficult moments, Focusing on the need to increase the interest of young minds in culture and music as they are closely linked to identity formation.

The interventions of the attendees from the Syrian and Russian sides focused on the importance of finding commonalities that would enhance the unity of society and preserve the cultural heritage of the ancestors in the era of globalization.

The focus of discussion in the session was on the role of the media and social media in disseminating news and events, especially in the light of the systematic war on Syria, as well as the situation in Russia.  Hosts were the journalist Basil Mehrez and Dr. Basil Ziti, a professor at Tishreen University who specializes in artificial intelligence.

Mahrez stated that the war on Syria forced the media to depart from its traditional local character and search for new tools to obtain accurate information and document it, and to find methods to convey the true picture and correct the false information promoted by media misinformation campaigns sponsored by regional and international bodies.

For his part, Dr. Zeti pointed to the efforts of the National Union of Syrian Students and its foreign branches to show the true image of Syria despite media misinformation and to exchange experiences, which is one of the goals of this meeting with the aim of protecting the generation from misleading information.

In turn, Dr. Darine Suleiman, Head of the National Union of Syrian Students, spoke during the sessions of the Syrian-Russian youth dialogue meeting about the importance of fortifying youth by preserving the concepts of education, family, society, and morals in the face of modern liberal concepts represented in the undermining of all that is moral or valuable.

Suleiman pointed to the growing awareness about the impact of social media on public opinion and the need to raise the level of caution and vigilance among young people to avoid being affected by dangerous and extremist ideas imposed by the West.

She added that we are in dire need for organized procedures in the field of media propaganda, with an emphasis on the need to define the goal, methods and tools to be more systematic and at the same time support initiatives and attempts by volunteer youth teams.

A number of Russian participants reviewed the efforts of the youth of the Russian Young Guard movement at the information level, benefiting from the technical expertise accumulated over years of field work to confront the misleading campaign and the distortions, lies and slander it contained  against the Russian army in its military operation and their success in forming an immune front against the West. They expressed their readiness to transfer their tremendous experience to friends, while the Syrian youth praised the tremendous work of the media during the terrorist war on Syria despite the lack of resources and capabilities, and the role of the youth in forming the Syrian Electronic Army to be a support and contributor to revealing the truth of what is happening in Syria.

During the session, the Syrian and Russian experiences in confronting the dangers of neo-liberalism that aims to destroy societies by destroying the family, family values, and morals, which are the foundation of society, were also reviewed.

The participants stressed the need to fortify young people and provide them with the knowledge they need to develop themselves, which will reflect positively on their homelands.

Raghda Sawas