Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko launched the 3rd International Buddhist Forum. It is being held from September 25 to 28 in Elista at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Deputy Prime Minister read out President Vladimir Putin's address of welcome: "Your meeting, bringing together prominent religious and public figures, experts, and scholars, is taking place in Elista, which is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year. Here in Kalmykia, the spiritual traditions of Buddhism have historically been strong, and the region is rightfully considered one of its largest centers in Europe. Today, the Buddhist community in Russia carefully preserves the priceless spiritual heritage of its ancestors, their distinctive art and customs, and is focusing its efforts on harmonizing interreligious and interethnic dialogue, strengthening family values, educating youth, restoring ancient monasteries and building new ones, and implementing educational and awareness-raising projects. And I am confident that I am ready to share this rich experience with the forum participants and guests from abroad."
Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized that the International Buddhist Forum brought together more than 400 delegates from various countries.
"As our President has said, the forum is primarily aimed at strengthening inter-delegation dialogue. This is a crucial task for such a large, multi-ethnic country as Russia. The Russian government places special emphasis on supporting Buddhist education, science, and culture. Books on the history of Buddhism are being actively published. Material heritage is being carefully preserved, and places of worship and monuments are being restored. Through joint efforts, we strive to build a world in which kindness, respect, justice, and mutual assistance are the most important values. I wish you success, prosperity, and fruitful work at the forum," noted Dmitry Chernyshenko.
During the forum, participants will discuss contemporary research into Buddhism and its philosophical aspects, Buddhist culture and history, the preservation of monasticism, and the development of domestic and international tourism with experts.
A welcoming address from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was also read at the event.
In addition, the participants and organizers were greeted by the head of the Republic of Kalmykia, Batu Khasikov.
During a working visit to Kalmykia, Dmitry Chernyshenko discussed tourism development with representatives of the republic's government and assessed the infrastructure of the Kublai Khan Hotel Complex. It was built with the support of the Republic of Kalmykia's individual development program, which includes a major renovation of the administrative building into a 50-room hotel complex. The project was launched ahead of the 3rd International Buddhist Forum.
"Our President Vladimir Putin has set the goal of increasing tourist flow to 140 million people per year by 2030. Kalmykia's participation in the national project 'Tourism and Hospitality' is helping us achieve this goal. Thanks to this project, the republic is implementing projects to build modular hotels, modernize ethnic complexes, and develop beach areas and roadside services. Developing tourism infrastructure is helping to increase tourist flow: we see it growing in Kalmykia. According to the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the region ranked among the top three fastest-growing destinations for the first eight months of 2025," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia also emphasized that the republic is working to train personnel for the industry: approximately 60 students are studying tourism at the B.B. Gorodovikov Kalmyk State University.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Kalmykia, over 460,000 tourists visited the region last year. The region boasts a wide range of tourism options, including cultural and educational, ecological, event-based, and pilgrimage tourism.
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