Published on: 2026-09-28
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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On September 26, the XII St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures concluded in St. Petersburg. Over three days, its venues became a space for discussions on preserving cultural identity and openness to the world, developing international cultural connections, and combining traditions with new technologies. The main theme of the forum — “United Cultures — Shared Values” — united the business and cultural programs and continued in concrete proposals from the participants.
The central event of the forum was the speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The head of state emphasized the unifying role of culture, its ability to maintain connections between people and nations and to overcome existing contradictions.
“Our country has historically developed as a space of interaction among peoples, languages, and customs. And unity for us is not uniformity, but cohesion built on the careful, authentic development of each people, each ethnicity. Culture plays a key role in this process—just as it does in our complex world with its conflicts, profound technological and social transformations, and competition between countries. Among other things, culture is capable of building bridges between people across any contradictions, serving as the most important and indispensable means of communication and dialogue where political and economic ties are frozen or halted due to various contradictions, sanctions, and restrictions,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
More than 4,500 people from over 70 countries participated in the forum, including media representatives. Forty-three official foreign delegations arrived in Saint Petersburg, 18 of which were headed by ministers of culture. Representatives of cultural institutions, authorities, professional associations, the creative community, and international organizations took part in the main and youth programs.
One of the substantive outcomes of the forum was Summary of the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, formed based on the proposals and conclusions of the discussion participants. The document reflects issues of preserving cultural diversity and heritage, developing international cultural exchanges and creative education, responsible use of artificial intelligence, and maintaining cultural sovereignty. The participants also reaffirmed the importance of equal interaction and humanitarian cooperation without artificial politicized barriers.
“Even at the stage of preparing the forum, we set the task that the ideas born during professional discussions would be followed up with concrete solutions. Today we see that this dialogue has taken place and has allowed us to form common approaches on a number of issues that concern the cultural community of different countries. It is important for us to maintain this joint work even after the forum concludes, so that the proposals voiced here receive practical follow-up. We unite our cultures, and culture unites us,” noted Deputy Prime Minister, Chair of the forum’s organizing committee Tatiana Golikova.
The business program of the forum included 84 events across 10 thematic areas. At the final session, the section supervisors presented the main conclusions and proposals formed as a result of three days of professional discussions.
“It is fundamentally important for the forum that the professional discussion continues beyond its venues. This year, the focus was on issues of cultural identity, education, international exchanges, and new technologies. Preserving and developing the country’s cultural code is one of the key tasks, and it is through it that the soul of Russia, its values, uniqueness, and connection between generations are revealed. At the same time, a careful attitude towards one’s own culture does not mean being closed off from the world. On the contrary, understanding one’s cultural code creates a solid foundation for equal dialogue, new professional connections, and joint international projects,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of Russia and Executive Secretary of the forum’s organizing committee.
In the museum sector, one of the central issues was the formation of a long-term strategy for the development of museology. As noted by Mikhail Piotrovsky, the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, the museum today is not only a keeper of collections but also a space for preserving historical memory and the cultural code of the nation. Among practical issues, the participants discussed restoration, heritage preservation, and ownership of cultural assets.
Participants associated the development of theatrical art with the expansion of international professional exchanges, joint productions, and educational projects. Vladimir Mashkov, Chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia, highlighted the work on the concept of theatrical art development until 2035 and the development of cooperation with professional associations of Vietnam, Arab countries, and Iran. Evgeny Mironov, Artistic Director of the State Theatre of Nations, separately emphasized the importance of the festival movement as a tool for direct cultural exchange between countries, including prospects for developing ties with Latin American states. The direction’s work also involved Valery Fokin, President of the Alexandrinsky Theatre.
In the film industry, discussions were dedicated to international co-productions, the development of digital platforms, the industry economy, genre diversity, and the application of artificial intelligence. Konstantin Ernst, General Director of Channel One, summarizing the work of the division, emphasized the fundamental role of authorial choice and human responsibility even in the conditions of active implementation of new technologies.
Issues of cultural sovereignty were discussed within the framework of debates on the correlation between national identity and openness to international cooperation. Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia, noted that cultural sovereignty does not mean isolation, but preserving one’s own identity creates a foundation for equal dialogue with other cultures. Among the participants’ proposals is the development of domestic artificial intelligence systems based on Russian library, archival, and cultural collections while maintaining the human right to make the final decision.
In the musical direction, overseen by Olga Khomova, General Director of the State Academic Chapel of Saint Petersburg, and Alexey Shalashov, General Director of the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic, the key themes became the formation of the audience of the future, the development of international competitions, and the support of regional orchestras.
In the field of creative education, the rector of the Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Semyon Mikhaylovsky, emphasized the need to maintain the high level of the Russian creative school and the humanistic foundation amid technological changes. Yulia Kupina, director of the Russian Ethnographic Museum, summarizing the work of the department dedicated to cultural heritage, highlighted its significance not only as a memory of the past but also as a resource for contemporary development and intergenerational dialogue.
In discussions about artificial intelligence, Roman Karmanov, CEO of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, outlined the approach to AI primarily as a tool that should assist humans and be used with consideration for preserving cultural heritage and the cultural code. In the circus field, Edgard Zapashny, CEO of the Bolshoi Moscow State Circus, emphasized the uniqueness of live human artistry, while in the “Media Culture” section, Andrey Kondrashov, CEO of TASS, highlighted the role of family, education, and the media images being created in shaping the cultural guidelines of society.
“Our forum once again confirmed its status as an authoritative platform for the most open, free dialogue, where representatives of different countries, peoples, and cultures unite for a common goal – to identify the challenges facing global culture and to develop the necessary solutions to overcome them. We are grateful to all colleagues for their participation, substantive and interesting discussions, and for addressing sometimes difficult but very important issues. All initiatives, agreements reached, and planned activities will soon transform into many bright projects that will showcase the full spectrum of our cultures, united by common, true values,” noted the Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova.
The forum continued beyond the main venue. The regional program of Saint Petersburg combined 26 events in museums, theaters, educational and other cultural institutions of the city. For the first time, broadcasts of the program’s events held at the forum venues were organized in the General Staff Building of the State Hermitage, allowing participants to follow the key discussions from its central space.
A special place this year was occupied by the cultural program. The culture festival “Petersburg Seasons,” annually organized by the Saint Petersburg administration and the Roscongress Foundation, united more than 120 events, becoming a continuation of the professional dialogue already in the language of art.
The “Petersburg Seasons” program included the exhibition “Great. The Image of a Woman in Russian Art” at the State Russian Museum, the opening of the season of the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic named after D.D. Shostakovich, dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the composer’s birth, theatrical performances, concerts, museum and exhibition projects.
One of the central events was the tour of the National Ballet of Cuba of the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana. The company came to Russia for the first time since 2011 and presented the ballet “Giselle” on the historic stage of the Mariinsky Theater.
The final day of the forum continued this theme at the State Hermitage. In the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace, the ceremony for awarding the Hermitage Prize took place. Its laureates in 2026 were Mikhail Shvydkoy and Italian theatre director Giancarlo del Monaco. On the same day, the exhibition “Message of Peace and Friendship. Portrait of Joséphine de Beauharnais by Appiani from the collection of the Duchess of Oliva Salviati” opened. Duchess Maria Oliva Salviati presented to the State Hermitage from her private collection the wedding portrait of Joséphine Beauharnais as a symbol of peace, friendship, and dialogue between the peoples of Russia and Italy.
In 2026, the Roscongress Foundation acted as the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures for the first time. As noted by the Chairman of the Board and Director of the Roscongress Foundation, Alexander Stuglev, special attention was given during the forum’s preparation to integrating the business and cultural programs and including the leading cultural venues of St. Petersburg into its structure. The high level of event organization was also noted by representatives of foreign delegations.
Among the foreign participants are the Minister of Culture and Arts of Algeria, Malika Bendouda; the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran, Abbas Salehi; the Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, Arman Kyrikbaev; the Minister of Culture, Arts, National Heritage and Tourism Industry of Congo, Jean-Claude Gakosso; the Minister of Communication and Culture of Madagascar, Ogascar Fenousa Mandrindrarivuni; the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Tiong King Sing; the Union Minister for Hotels, Tourism and Culture of Myanmar, Maung Myin; the Minister of Culture of the Republic of South Ossetia, Grigory Mamiev; the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Somalia, Abdifatah Qasim Mohamud; and the Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism of the Central African Republic, Gina Lawson Rozalem.
Myanmar’s Minister of Hotels, Tourism and Culture Maung Myin emphasized the need for international cooperation in the context of the rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital media.
“Technologies must remain a means and serve the benefit of humanity. It is on platforms like the Forum of United Cultures that a common understanding of responsibility for cultural content and heritage is formed. No single country can alone respond to the complex challenges related to the preservation of cultural heritage. This requires global international dialogue, joint projects, and new platforms for collaboration,” said Maun Myin.
Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi noted the practical significance of the forum for the development of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Iran.
“Holding such forums is an opportunity for exchanging views, which then turns into concrete joint projects and strengthens cultural cooperation. An important event within the forum is the signing of an agreement on joint film production between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation. Our countries have great potential for the joint creation and distribution of feature-length fiction, animated, and documentary films, including projects for children and youth,” Abbas Salehi noted.
Palestinian Minister of Culture Imaduddin Hamdan noted that the forum allows for turning agreements on cultural cooperation into concrete joint initiatives.
“At such venues, agreements on cultural exchange are continued—they turn into regular programs and joint initiatives. This could be a weekly program in Palestine dedicated to Russian culture, and conversely, a weekly program on official television in Russia dedicated to Palestinian culture,” noted Imaduddin Hamdan.
Within the framework of the forum, 33 agreements were signed dedicated to developing cooperation in the fields of culture, museum and theatrical affairs, education, and the preservation of cultural heritage. One of the directions was expanding interaction among leading artistic institutions and promoting the Russian academic school. For example, the State Russian Museum and the Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts agreed on a strategic partnership aimed at preserving, studying, and promoting the traditions of domestic academic painting. The academy also concluded agreements with the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve and the Novosibirsk State Art Museum.
Expert analytical support for the forum is provided through the advanced intellectual service “Summary,” successfully used at major business events. The service is implemented by analysts from the Roscongress Foundation, leveraging years of experience and the capabilities of continuous digital transformation. The technological foundation of “Summary” is the patented AI technology “InForum” – the Foundation’s proprietary development in the field of artificial intelligence.
During the modernization of the service, the generation of brief summaries of discussions was automated: the system highlights key conclusions, problems, and proposed solutions. Additionally, it allows for the real-time creation of visual “clouds of meanings” and the selection of main quotes from speakers. This increases the speed and accuracy of analytics, reduces manual workload, and provides substantive support for the forum at all stages.
Based on the forum results, the proposals and initiatives voiced during the discussions will be summarized and final materials will be prepared for further development. The main final analytical document will be the report “Results of the XII St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures.” The electronic version of the study will be available for download in the information and analytical system of the Roscongress Foundation.
The forum was organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Government of Russia, the Ministry of Culture of Russia, and the government of Saint Petersburg.
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