ST. PETERSBURG, August 3. /TASS/. Building trust between the peoples of Russia and Kazakhstan and the role of journalists in this process were the key topics of the 3rd Russian-Kazakh Media Forum.

Its plenary session focused on the strategic role of the mass media in countering disinformation and consolidating bilateral ties.

"One cannot but see that amid an extremely complex and dangerous international situation our professional journalistic community plays a very important role in building trust between countries and peoples," TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov said.

Alexander Smirnov, head of the Russian presidential public relations directorate, stressed the strategic importance of close cooperation between the two countries’ media structures, describing it as a "direct reflection of the high level of the Russian-Kazakh allied relations."

"The global situation is getting tenser and tenser year after year, and the global system of international relations is living through a profound transformation. Today, as never befor, reliable information and cultural ties between Russia and Kazakhstan have a special strategic value," he noted.

According to Smirnov, Russian and Kazakh media are combating the West’s attempts to sow mistrust among them, as well as to propagate narratives distorting their shared history. "Today, we are witnessing an escalation in the intensity of information wars, which are being waged against our countries. External forces are resorting to the massive dissemination of fake news, including generated by artificial intelligence, the distortion of facts, and the manipulation of public opinion," he said.

Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Russia Dauren Abayev, picked up the topic of countering disinformation using the concept of "semiotic security," i.e. the protection of the realm of meanings and values. He noted that in the digital age, the main battle is not over information itself, but over its interpretation, and that trust, which is built through culture, education, and the media environment, has become a key resource.

A range of concrete initiatives were advanced during the plenary session. They included signing an agreement on fact-checking, launching joint TV projects and series, exchanging educational programs for journalists and bloggers, as well as expanding the forum’s format.

The first Russian-Kazakh Media Forum was held at TASS’ Moscow headquarters in November 2024. The second event was held in Almaty last year.