Moscow [Russia], October 16 : Representatives from over 40 countries are set to gather in Moscow for the 17th Assembly of the Russian World, scheduled from October 20 to 22, 2025, organised by the Russkiy Mir Foundation with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For the first time, the assembly will feature a special session titled "New Media Dimension: Strengthening Dialogue - Confidence Building", bringing together foreign and Russian specialists in mass communications. The session is being organised in partnership with TV BRICS International Media Network, the official international information partner of the event.
Tatyana Shlychkova, Executive Director of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, highlighted the growing global media interest in fostering new partnerships. "For us, this is an important indicator of the interest shown by media representatives in establishing new types of contacts and forming a modern architecture of communications. Guests from more than 40 countries will take part in the discussion. We are confident that the international dialogue will be effective and will continue in a practical direction.
As part of its BRICS Global Media Tour, TV BRICS has invited heads of leading partner media from 16 countries, including Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, Zimbabwe, India, Indonesia, Iran, Cuba, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Oman, Thailand, Chile, Ethiopia, and South Africa.
Among the key participants are Dylan Poitevin Della Pasqua, Editor-in-Chief of Agency Safras News (Brazil); Ezzat Youssef, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Online (Egypt); Victoria Ruzvidzo, Editor of The Herald (Zimbabwe); Marzieh Zaeri Irani, Director for International Cooperation at IRIB (Iran); Ali Muhammad Ali, Managing Director of NAN (Nigeria); and Jorge Luis Bermudez Cruz, CEO of Canal Caribe (Cuba).
Speaking ahead of the event, Janna Tolstikova, CEO of TV BRICS, said "TV BRICS, which cooperates with more than 100 major media organisations from different countries, notes a high demand for mutually beneficial cooperation and objective public information that makes it possible to showcase national identity, business and trade-economic potential. Together, we are creating a new communication space that takes into account state interests and cultural and linguistic identity while uniting countries with the ideology of peace and constructive partnership. At this stage of modern history, the role of media professionals rises to the level of public, or informational, diplomacy. At the Assembly in Moscow, we are determined to speak openly with one another so that our nations have the opportunity to present themselves in the international information field, as well as to hear and better understand their neighbours and partners."
Participants in the session "New Media dimension: strengthening dialogue - confidence-building" will also include journalists, publishers, bloggers, and heads of public organisations from countries of West Africa, Europe, the South Caucasus, the Middle East, Central and Northeast Asia.
The meeting will be moderated by Director General of TV BRICS Janna Tolstikova and Editor-in-Chief of African Times Mahasha Piet Rampedi (South Africa). The participants will discuss issues of information exchange and the formation of a unified BRICS+ media space, the role of the Russian language in international media communication, and the importance of media diplomacy and professional standards in journalism, as well as the need to preserve the diversity of national cultures and traditions in the global dialogue.
In 2025, the 17th Assembly of the Russian World will unite representatives from over 100 countries under the theme "Russian World: Fundamental Contribution to International Development - History, Present, and Future." The plenary session on October 20 will be chaired by Ambassador Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of MGIMO University. The programme will include panel discussions and thematic sessions in collaboration with Lomonosov Moscow State University, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, GITIS, Rossotrudnichestvo, and TV BRICS.
In recent years, TV BRICS has actively promoted global media cooperation through its BRICS Global Media Tour -- from the Global Energy Prize ceremony in Kemerovo (2023) and the IT Forum in Khanty-Mansiysk (2024) to the Business Forum "TIME: Russia-India. Mutual Efficiency" in Kazan (2025).