Echoes of Yalta: Crimea Hosts Congress on Global Order Amid Modern Challenges 

International leaders, scholars, and diplomats convene at Livadia Palace to reassess the legacy of the 1945 Yalta Conference and address contemporary geopolitical shifts, culminating in a resolution to UN agencies. 

In the opulent halls of Crimea’s Livadia Palace, where Allied powers once charted the postwar world, a gathering of global thinkers and policymakers this week reignited debates over international cooperation. Marking the 80th anniversary of the Yalta Conference, the International Scientific and Diplomatic Congress brought together over 100 luminaries—from Russian officials to European historians—to confront modern crises echoing the upheavals of the 20th century. 

The March 27-28 event, organized by Crimea’s government with Russian Foreign Ministry support, unfolded against a backdrop of heightened global tensions. Participants toured an exhibit of archival documents tracing Russia’s diplomatic history, from the 19th-century Holy Alliance to the UN’s founding. A symbolic postcard cancellation ceremony honored Yalta’s legacy, while plenary sessions dissected challenges to multilateralism, from Ukraine to climate change. 

During the event, greetings were read out by Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation Yevgeny Primakov, Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev. The guests were also welcomed by the Mayor of Yalta, Yanina Pavlenko.

The plenary sessions were moderated by Georgy Muradov, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of Russia, and Elena Panina, Director of the RUSSTRAT Institute for International Political and Economic Strategies and Chairman of the Commission on Relations with International Organizations and Compatriots Living Abroad.

Along with the aforementioned leaders of the Republic of Crimea and guests, the Congress was attended, including via video link, by Deputy Chairmen of the State Duma of the Russian Federation A.M.Babakov and A.Y.Kuznetsova, Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia K.M.Logvinov, Director of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.A.Gromyko, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs SergeyI.Kislyak, Chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy and Media Relations A.K.Pushkov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, grandson of V.M.Molotov V.A.Nikonov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots K.F.Zatulin, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee Alexander Klimov, grandmaster, world chess champion, Senator Sergey Karjakin, as well as well—known foreign experts - Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs (USA), historian Jeffrey Roberts (Great Britain), public figure, President of the de Gaulle Foundation Pierre de Gaulle (France), historian, adviser to the President of France Jacques Chirac's Elena Perroux (France), Chairman of the International Association of Friends of Crimea Konstantinos Isikhos (Greece), General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Czech Republic and Moravia Roman Blashko, former Senator of the Czech Republic Yaroslav Dowbrava, Turkish public figures Ismail Temizkok, Nusret Tuzak and others.

During the three plenary sessions, "Crimea is the cradle of the Yalta system of International Relations. UN activities: Achievements and Challenges", "Russia and the Future World Order: a look into the future" and "Understanding new challenges in world politics" were presented by V.A.Konstantinov, K.F.Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Council of Crimea S.P.Tsekov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations V.A.Nebenzi, Director of the Information Department and the Press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia M.V.Zakharova, Acting Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia S.V.Shitkov, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO A.A.Sushentsov, Head of the MGIMO Department of Comparative Political Science, O.V.Gaman-Golutvina, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, K.M.Barsky, Head of the MGIMO Department of Diplomacy, S.V.Yurchenko, First Vice-Rector of the Crimean Federal University, S.A.Karaganov, prominent Russian political scientist, and other well-known Russian diplomats, scientists, journalists, and experts.

During the conference, Roger Waters, founder of the Pink Floyd group (Great Britain), and famous film actor Steven Seagal addressed the guests via video link, who noted the special importance of the Congress for establishing a dialogue between world powers.

The Forum has become an important platform for understanding the legacy of the Yalta Conference and its significance for the modern world. It attracted more than 100 iconic figures of Russian and world politics, diplomacy, journalism, science and culture, who discussed the topic of current geopolitical challenges in the era of global change and the formation of a new world order.