Russia’s third All-Russian Municipal Forum, Small Motherland – the Strength of Russia, has closed in Moscow after three days of meetings, cultural events and award ceremonies that officials said were designed to strengthen local governance and expand what they called “municipal diplomacy.”
The forum, held at the National Centre “Russia” from April 20 to 22, brought together about 7,000 municipal representatives from across the country, along with more than 60 foreign delegates from Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Organizers said the international guests used the forum to exchange municipal management practices and discuss humanitarian cooperation through a sister-cities platform. The cultural programme also included visits to the Journey Across Russia exhibition and the Heart of the Motherland festival, which showcased regional crafts and cuisine.
The forum was organized by the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government with support from the presidential administration. Senior Russian officials including Dmitry Medvedev, Valentina Matvienko, Marat Khusnullin and Maxim Oreshkin took part in the business programme, while First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kiriyenko described municipal work as “selfless service.”
A central event was the presentation of the third All-Russian municipal award Service, which drew more than 63,000 applications and more than 1.6 million public votes. The awards were decided in 11 categories, including a new category titled “Unity of the Peoples of Russia – the Strength of the Country,” which received nearly 271,000 votes.
President Vladimir Putin attended the ceremony and presented an award to Evgeny Filonov of Kaluga region in the category “Courage and Heroism in Service to the Motherland.” Other awards were presented by Tatiana Golikova, Artyom Zhoga and Anna Tsivileva.
Officials said the forum’s discussions and awards were intended to support the spread of best practices in small towns and villages across Russia. They also said the event reflected growing attention to local governance as a tool for national development and international outreach.
