Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Petr Tolstoy
Petr Olegovich
noted that the issues of concern of the youth of both countries are similar in many respects, and they need legislative support. At the same time, young people shall consistently and persistently stand up for their interests, clearly formulate goals and tasks, and understand what to strive for, including in the sphere of legislative regulation. ”Nothing will come by itself, it is necessary to fight to achieve anything,“ he stressed.
The parliamentarian noted that for a long time the subject of the youth was ”in the same place, where the culture was, somewhere at the end of the long list“. ”The economy was in the beginning and it seemed that only it would determine the further direction of the development of both countries. But this is not quite true,” Petr Tolstoy believes. ‘There is a large social group, which needs more attention, and we need to work on this’.
”In my opinion, the future is a key element for each youth movement, and each of our meetings. I hope that today's conversation will lead to concrete results,“ he concluded.
First Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova
Zhurova 
Svetlana Sergeevna reminded that earlier, according to the State Duma's regulations the Youth Parliament was headed by one of the members of the State Duma. But then it was decided to give greater independence in decision-making to the youth, and the task of members of the parliaments is to help.
The parliamentarian called on the young members to take an active part in the preparation and holding of the II European Games, which will be held in Minsk in summer 2019, as volunteers, noting that this experience will be useful and unique. ”As the mayor of the Olympic village, I worked with volunteers and saw what an incredible experience for young guys it was. It will be one of the most unforgettable events in life,” said Svetlana Zhurova. “In our country thanks to young people, volunteers, their hospitality, readiness to assist we managed to hold the Olympic Games at a high level and to change negative background information that was artificially created around Russia in many ways. The same will be with you, I am sure that you will be successful in dealing with this task“.
It is necessary to create all conditions for the participation of young people, members of youth parliaments, youth public organizations in drafting the agenda, believes a member of the Committee on Physical Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs Natlia Kuvshinova
Natlia Sergeevna
..
”The State Duma, in fact, has become the first platform for such a broad representation, and the forum that takes place within these walls on the initiative of the youth of our states, the Youth Chamber under the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, is a very important and right event,“ she stated.
According to Marina Voropaeva, Chairwoman of the Youth Parliament under the State Duma, the strategy for the development of youth integration of the Union State, the development of which is stated as the main goal of this forum, is, in a certain sense, an innovative document that should become the basis for the development of youth policy in the Union State.
”The peoples of Russia and Belarus are united by a common history, traditions, and values. However we shall look into the future, define what the Union State will be like, what the youth will get from it, what we can do and how we can be useful to each other,“ she said.
In his turn, the Chairman of the Commission on Information Policy and Information Technologies of the Youth Chamber under the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, Anton Paveliev, dwelt on specific decisions taken within the framework of the forum.
”We came to the common conclusion that more information about the Union State should be included in the school curricula. We have a common history that we can talk about. It will be also useful to learn more about the works of Belarusian and Russian writers at the literature classes,“ he said.
Moreover, Anton Paveliev continued that the participants of the forum believe that April 2, 1997, the date when the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation signed the Treaty on the Union of Belarus and Russia that signified the start of integration of two independent sovereign states on a new basis, should be celebrated more widely.
During the plenary session and the work of the sections, the participants of the Youth Forum also made a number of other proposals. In particular, they consider it necessary to revive the mentoring institute, whose traditions are still well preserved in Belarus; to attract young people to the implementation of joint projects in radio electronics and in the IT industry, to conduct joint sports competitions.
The Youth Forum of the Union State is held in Moscow from 26 to 30 September. Leaders of youth and student self-government bodies, representatives of public organizations and expert community of Belarus and Russia take part in it. The program of the Forum includes an excursion to the State Duma, a visit to the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation, trainings, master classes, and excursions.
