MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. US journalists’ reports on security in Russia, the reliability and cleanliness of public transportation, and the abundance of food in stores are one of the tools of soft power, Anton Kobyakov, Russian presidential adviser and executive secretary of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) Organizing Committee, told TASS in an interview.

"When Tucker Carlson or Candace Owens talk about Russia, they’re essentially stating the obvious, but it comes across as some kind of ‘discovery of America’: that Russia is safe, that we have reliable and clean public transportation, and that stores here offer a wider selection of food than is sometimes found in the US This, of course, has an impact just as much as the interactions between people at the forum and the formation of new business and personal connections. It is one of the tools of that very ‘soft power’," Kobyakov noted.

At the same time, he pointed out that, combined with effective communication efforts, convention and exhibition activities create a cumulative effect in this regard. "It is also worth mentioning other tools used by Roscongress as a development institution. First and foremost, these are our analytical reports. Roscongress is already well known to our Chinese, Indian, and Arab colleagues, as well as to a number of European partners precisely as a ‘think tank.’ We offer new perspectives, make highly accurate forecasts, and view global events from a different angle. Many processes become clearer. This, too, helps counter their propaganda. Work in the information sphere is not limited to news alone. Their narratives can only be countered by others - in this case, by our own narratives. And we must also know how to produce them," Kobyakov concluded.

The Eastern Economic Forum will take place in Vladivostok on September 1-4. The main theme of this year’s EEF is "The Far East: Development for the Benefit of the People." The event is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian government. TASS is the forum’s general media partner.