The World Youth Festival (WYF) in Sochi is bringing together young people from all over the world and shattering false stereotypes about the host country, Billy Mambrasar, a special aide to the president of Indonesia, has told RT.
Mambrasar is one of 11 Special Staff to the current Indonesian President Joko Widodo. He was in the 200-strong delegation Jakarta sent to the festival, held in the Sochi resort of Sirius.
“We are proud to send our young leaders to be part of this festival,” said Mambrasar. He noted that the event drew tens of thousands of people from 180 countries, proving wrong the notion that Russia was isolated or backward.
Russia has provided an example to aspiring developing countries that they can take the path of multipolarity, according to Mambrasar.
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“People need a refreshment from looking at one or two particular countries as leaders of the world,” he said. “We need more examples of leadership. My country, Indonesia, we are looking up to Russia as our role model, too.”
He said that there has been a great deal of interest about Russia in Indonesia, judging by the reactions on social media. Judging by the comments on his posts alone, “all the comments were very positive about Russia and what Russia is doing.”
This type of event ought to be more frequent, Mambrasar said, noting that something similar was held in 2014, and before that in 1957.
The WYF is being held in Sochi between March 1-7, bringing together some 20,000 young people selected from a vast pool of applicants. The festival hosts assorted cultural and sporting events, contests, exhibitions, and various panel discussions. After Sochi, WYF participants are scheduled to visit 30 cities across Russia from March 10-17.
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