Music as a Language of Intercultural Dialogue. Round table Discussion at the World Peoples Assembly

The round table "Harmony without Borders: Music as the language of Intercultural dialogue" was held on World Harmony Day on June 18, 2026 at the Moscow headquarters of the World Peoples Assembly. The event in the format of a meeting of the Council of Composers and Musical Figures of the World Peoples Assembly brought together composers, musicians, public figures and experts from Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria and African countries to discuss topical issues of the development of musical art and international cultural cooperation.

The discussion was moderated by Tatiana Fedorova, Head of the Directorate of Cultural Cooperation of the World Peoples Assembly, and Andrey Baturin, Chairman of the Council of Composers and Musical Figures of the World Peoples Assembly.

The speakers were:

• Ebrima Mbenga – Head of the African Hearts drum show (Gambia);

• Mammad Huseynov – composer, public figure, winner of prestigious creative competitions (Turkmenistan, online);

• Igor Skvortsov - President of the Cultural Diplomacy Community, a composer of new age, neoclassical and progressive music.;

• Zhanna Gabova - pianist, composer, laureate of international and national competitions.;

• Anna Alexandrova - Russian composer, music teacher, popularizer of Russian song and dance (Uzbekistan, online)

• Irina Vidova-Molchanova - a singer, poet (Belarus);

• Rimma Bryzhakhina - a songwriter, singer, teacher of the highest qualification category, member of the Union of Eurasian Composers;

• Roman Lvovich - composer, arranger, performer;

• Semyon Son - pianist, composer;

• Oleg Kaledin - composer, Honored Artist of Russia;

• Olga Kovitidi - composer;

• Vasily Smetanin - Head of the Cultural and Music Propaganda Bureau in Support of the Eurasian Union of Composers.

Tatiana Fedorova emphasized in her opening remarks:

– Today is the World Harmony Day, and this is a great opportunity to get together and talk about music. After all, music is an international language that knows no borders and is capable of uniting hearts.

Svetlana Smirnova, Chairperson of the General Council of the World Peoples Assembly and a member of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations of the Russian Federation, also addressed a welcoming speech to the participants:

– Today's round table is an important preparation for the September meeting at the Second World Public Assembly. It is today that we will form the initiatives that will be voiced there," - she said.

Svetlana Smirnova also recalled the successful experience of the First World Public Assembly "A New World of Conscious Unity", which brought together 5,000 participants from more than 123 countries, and spoke about the 2026 event, which will be held on September 18-19 at the World Trade Center in Moscow. Within the latter, a large-scale cultural program is planned; musical art and cultural diplomacy will be among the key issues discussed.

During the round table, the participants considered five priority issues:

• the current state of musical art;

• the relevance of developing cooperation between professional creative organizations;

• modern opportunities and mechanisms for expanding the package of proposals for multicultural projects in various fields of musical art;

• adoption of a resolution aimed at prohibiting or partially regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) products in professional composing and performing activities;

• approval of proposals and plans for 2027 to strengthen the international collaboration of composers and expand the possibilities for their performance.

The participants paid special attention to the issue of regulating the use of artificial intelligence in the creative industries. The participants expressed their common concern about the need to protect professional standards and the rights of composers and performers in the context of the rapid development of AI technologies.

The round table demonstrated the high level of international cooperation in the music industry. Experts from different countries shared their experience of developing musical culture in their regions and discussed opportunities for expanding multicultural projects.

Participants from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Belarus noted the importance of preserving national musical traditions in the context of globalization and the need to create new mechanisms for international cooperation.

The participants expressed confidence that music will continue to serve as a universal language uniting peoples and cultures, and will contribute to the development of international humanitarian cooperation through art.

Following the round table, specific proposals and initiatives were formed; they will be presented on the main international platform of the Second World Public Assembly "A New World of Conscious Unity".

More information is on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly and at media@world-assembly.org.