Sochi welcomed the delegation of the Republic of Seychelles, which arrived to take part in the World Youth Festival held in March in the Sirius Federal Territory.
The Republic of Seychelles was represented by Ms. Lydia Charlie, Acting Mayor of Victoria, Mr. Kevin Vidot, Chief Result-Based Management Officer in the Ministry for Youth, Sports and Family Office of the Republic of Seychelles, Ms. Melissa Mathurin, Volunteer and Chairperson of a youth-led NGO called Diversity in Intelligence, Mr. Trevor Pool, Youth volunteer and an active member of the Perseverance District Youth Committee, Ms. Farella Charlie, Seychelles National Youth Council`s counsellor, as well as Ms. Svetlana Brusova, President of the SAWI Animal Welfare Fund.
The delegation's schedule, along with visiting the festival venues, included a meeting with the First Deputy Head of Sochi, Ms. Elena Kanyuk, to discuss, among other things, the possibility of signing a twinning agreement between Victoria and Sochi, similar to the twinning agreement between Victoria and Rostov-on-Don. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Alexander Karelin, who represents the legislative (representative) body of state power of the Novosibirsk region in the Federation Council and holds the title of a three-time winner of the Olympic Games, ninetime world champion, and twelve-time European champion.
During their visit to Sochi, the delegates met with Ms. Dilbar Sadykova (Member of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan on Culture, Director General of the Center for Tourism Development of the Republic of Tatarstan (Ministry of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan) and the Chairperson of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy acting on behalf of the Council of Young Diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia) and Mr. Arseniy Karyakin (First Deputy Head of the Department of International and Inter-Municipal Relations of the Kazan City Duma, coordinator of the UNESCO Kazan - City of Music program). At the meeting, the parties discussed further cooperation in youth policy, and representatives of the Republic of Tatarstan invited the youth of Seychelles to visit Kazan as part of the development of joint projects.
While participating in the World Youth Festival 2024, the delegates got a master class in curling. The master class was attended by famous athletes and coaches of the Curling Federation of the Krasnodar Territory. The honored guests had a tour around the expositions of the Sochi museum dedicated to the unique nature of the Western Caucasus and the life in the Black Sea region.