From April 24 to April 27 in the Bulgarian Islamic academy there took place the international conference "Model of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation" within the actions of Group of strategic vision "Russia - Islamic world".
The Fund of strategic dialogue and partnership with the Islamic world, the Bulgarian Islamic academy on the basis of which a business game took place, and Kazan Federal University acted as organizers of the event. Participants were the students from the abroad, students in Kazan Federal University, students of the Bulgarian Islamic academy, representatives of the Russian universities from Adygei, St. Petersburg, Pyatigorsk, acted as MGIMO. 33 participants imitated the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation devoted to a subject "Islamic banking: the international standards and law enforcement in OIC member states".
According to the executive director of Fund of strategic dialogue and partnership with the Islamic world, professor Elmira L. Sadykova, Doctor of Political Science, the Group of strategic vision "Russia - Islamic world" chose a model of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in connection with 50-year anniversary of this international structure as a business game. This project is implementation of one of the most important cultural and educational direction of activities of the Group.
- The students, foreign affairs specialists, who are taking part in the Model of OIC had serious selection and the corresponding training before arriving here. Each of the participants represents one country. Children work in the format as close as possible to realities of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, - they prepared the positions on the stated question in advance, sounded it, created coalition groups. All this comes to the end with adoption of the final resolution in which amendments of interested parties are considered. Participants of model propose interesting solutions, for example, opening of Islamic windows in traditional banks, creation of control mechanisms in the countries with the Islamic right on control of compliance of the legislation in the field of Islamic banking to Sharia. All this demands from students of competences both in the Islamic right, and on points of order of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Discussion goes very active with observance of all rules. The similar format allows children to plunge into the atmosphere of the international organization. Besides, the Model of OIC is a dialogue of cultures, dialogue of secular and religious education. We expect that this experience within projects of Group of strategic vision "Russia - Islamic world" will be productive and will allow us to use its practices further and to develop in our follow-up activity, - Elmira Sadykova notes.
The next action of a similar format within the Group of strategic vision "Russia - Islamic world" is a Bulgarian Dialogue of Cultures project, which is carried out in partnership with Kazan Federal University. Its difference is that students from the European, Russian universities and students of religious educational institutions take part in it.
- If last year in "The Bulgarian dialogue of cultures" only representatives of the Bulgarian Islamic academy took part, then this year we, perhaps, will initiate participation and the General church postgraduate study and doctoral studies. Thus, the educational vector of activity of the Group of strategic vision "Russia - Islamic world" will be continued. Being the instrument of public diplomacy, the Group creates platforms of dialogue including participation of the younger generation, - Elmira Sadykova tells.
The head of the department of the international relations, world politics and diplomacy of Kazan Federal University, professor Valery A. Letyaev, the doctor of jurisprudence, in turn, emphasizes that it is important to develop cross-cultural dialogue not only in the environment of youth, but also to do it on concrete subjects. It will allow to find together the solution of common problems, receiving different views on them.
- Last year within "The Bulgarian dialogue culture" the subject of the multicultural city was discussed. This year we plan to create design groups of the students representing the different countries. They will solve problems, which stand in different regions of the world such as Russia, the USA, and China.
Separately professor Letyaev stopped also on professional competences, which develop the students’ foreign affairs specialists within models.
- The professional in the field of the international relations has to not only speak fluently in the western and eastern languages, but also has to have fundamental knowledge. Analytical skills, critical thinking allow such a professional foreign affairs specialist to distinguish falsifications, to find real sources of information. And there is a need in skills of cross-cultural communication. On models students receive all of stated above. They practice languages, gain real knowledge when they prepare a country position, form analytical competences by means of the experts holding master classes.
The group of strategic vision "Russia - Islamic world"