March 9, 2024 (EIRNS)—In the course of his dialogue with the participants of the World Youth Festival—which was attended by 20,000 delegates from 190 countries—at the end of their March 1-7 session, Russian President Vladimir Putin touched on philosophical issues raised by a number of the youth. In response to a question from Amir Khawas from Egypt on the Russian volunteer community, Putin noted: “The people of Russia do have this sense of compassion in their souls. It is passed on from parents—from mothers, from fathers to children, and so on, from generation to generation. And that is why this desire to help others.” He added that “to wholeheartedly dedicate oneself to others, empathy is paramount. In this regard, you will undoubtedly find good partners here.”
Prior to the inauguration of the World Youth Festival, Putin met with foreign youth who had lived in Russia for some time and were about to return home:
“You are all so different. I look at you, and I can see what a diverse group you are…. This means that there is something that unites us. And the first thing that comes to mind is that although we may look different—take the young people over there! Hello!—we may be different in appearance, skin color and everything else, but there is something that brings us together. What is it? It is that all of us are human beings. And we are all equal.
“If we are all equal, there is no place for anyone’s exclusivity in the world. There is no place for arrogance, segregation or other behaviors that stem from the distorted notion of someone’s exclusivity.
