UAE RUSSIAN COMPATRIOTS HELD A REGULAR CONFERENCE

The annual, eighth, country conference of organizations of Russian compatriots was held in Dubai.

Dubai, UAE. The 8th annual country conference of organizations of Russian compatriots was held in Dubai on September 6, 2015.

The event was attended by members of all five organizations that are members of the Coordination Council (KSORS): the Association of Russian Compatriots (ARS), the Russian Council of Entrepreneurs in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (RSP), the Russian Women’s Union of Russian Women, and the Cultural and Educational Center at the arrival of the Holy Apostle Philip in Sharjah and the Youth Organization of Russian Compatriots (MORS).

The conference was attended by Timur Zabirov, Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Federation in the UAE, and Alexei Popov, representative of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, compatriots living abroad, and international humanitarian cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo).

In his welcoming address to the conference delegates, Timur Zabirov emphasized the importance of consolidating the Russian community abroad and noted that the United Arab Emirates has traditionally been leaders in this field among the countries of the Middle East and Africa, actively participating in the activities of the World Coordinating Council of Compatriots Living Abroad.

The current chairman of the KSORS UAE, Dr. Igor Egorov, in his speech noted the friendly atmosphere in which the interaction of organizations of compatriots takes place, calling their work constructive and harmonious. So, over the past period, a number of important events were carried out jointly, including the grand celebration of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the VII Regional Conference of Compatriots of the Middle East and Africa, Pancake Week, a round table on the Russian language, literary evenings and many others.

Sergey Tokarev, a representative of the African and Middle East region at the World Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots (VKS), in his speech reminded delegates of a number of organizational issues related to the procedures for selecting countries for representation in the VKS, as well as the procedures for selecting a representative in the VKS from the region and Chairman of the CRMC.

The deputy chairman of the KSORS and the co-chairman of the ARS, Elena Tarilova, once again emphasized the importance of implementing cultural and humanitarian initiatives in the work of compatriots' organizations. According to her, a real breakthrough in this area could be the opening of the Russian Center for Science and Culture with the support of Rossotrudnichestvo of the Russian Federation. Elena Tarilova supported the proposal of colleagues to nominate Dr. Igor Egorov to the post of representative of the region in the videoconferencing system, and Tatyana Al Arud proposed the candidacy of the KSORS.

Also during the meeting, the chairman of the Russian Woman union Tatyana Al Arud spoke. She thanked her colleagues for their support and expressed her desire to further intensify work on consolidating the community of Russian compatriots, supporting the Russian language and culture, and educating the younger generation.

The head of the Youth Organization of Russian Compatriots (MORS) German Gussakovsky noted the importance of attracting young people to the compatriots movement. Currently, the club has more than thirty Russian-speaking young people from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Taking the floor, the APC delegate, Dr. Safa Al Janabi, drew the attention of the audience to a great contribution to the development of the movement of Russian compatriots in the UAE, Elena Tarilova, offering her as a worthy candidate for the post of chairman of the CRCF. His speech was supported by applause by all those gathered - Elena Tarilova is well known among compatriots in the UAE and the region for her active work and successful projects. However, for family reasons, Elena Tarilova recused herself.

During the conference, delegates held two votes. During a secret, as required by the procedure, voting, the representative of the region of Africa and the Middle East in the videoconferencing was elected Dr. Igor Egorov, who gained 80% of the vote, and Tatyana Al Arud unanimously elected the new chairman of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in the UAE.

The nearest events in the life of the community will be the business forum of the BRICS countries on September 9, 2015 in Dubai and events dedicated to the Day of National Unity. The delegation of the KSORS UAE will also take part in the 5th World Congress of Russian Compatriots in Moscow on November 5-6, 2015.