Fallico: Verona Forum in Samarkand pointed to path alternative to civilizational clash

In a historical period when many are calling for a clash of civilizations, emphasising borders and barriers, the recent Verona Forum in Samarkand pointed to an alternative path, demonstrating the widespread need for pluralism of views and the desire for integration – as stated by Professor Antonio Fallico, the President of Conoscere Eurasia Association, as he was summing up the results of the 16th Verona Eurasian Economic Forum in Samarkand (Uzbekistan)

“In a constant search for new solutions and mechanisms in the world of business and trade, the Verona Forum offers a special diplomacy based on real economic and social needs. This path largely takes into account the real needs of peoples who seek to build, not destroy, to find new solutions in the extremely unpredictable world that is undergoing profound changes,” the Italian expert said. “Europe, of which Italy is an important part, should – as Romano Prodi, the former President of the European Commission, reminded us here – once again become the main actor in the framework of innovative co-operation with the Eurasian world, in the broadest sense of the word.”

According to Mr. Fallico, over these years of striving for business dialogue in Greater Eurasia – which is a true vocation of the Verona Forum, the need for a space, that is sincere, free and open for discussion, has rarely been so acute. “Samarkand has fully met our expectations. Its history and vocation to be a thriving oasis of dialogue, meetings and intersections between peoples and cultures have once again manifested in their effectiveness. Samarkand attracts not only with the aesthetic beauty of its turquoise colours, but also serves as a space for co-operation at the crossroads between Russia, China, India, the countries of the North Atlantic, and Europe," he noted.

Many important issues were discussed at the forum’s two-day sessions, giving food for thought in such strategic segments as energy, finance and banking, agricultural development and ecology, digital technologies and logistics. The Verona Forum, which plays a key role in the development of entrepreneurship, once again offered a rich cultural programme.

According to Mr. Fallico, the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum will continue its path – which started in Baku and then moved to Samarkand – next year. “We will once again choose a promising place for multilateral economic co-operation in the vast expanses of Greater Eurasia – from the Atlantic to the Pacific,” the President of Conoscere Eurasia Association concluded.