On July 14 and 15, the International Conference "Russia and Iran: Historical Parallels and Relations in the 16th-21st Centuries" was held at RSUH.
Rector of RSUH Alexander Bezborodov opened the Conference, expressing special gratitude to the organizers of the event. “RSUH is comprehensively integrated into the new vector of cooperation between Russia and Iran - between researchers, between Russian and Iranian universities. A reliable academic, educational and cultural system of interaction with Iranian partners has been created at our University,” Alexander Borisovich noted.
According to Rector, the development of Russian-Iranian studies plays an important role for the Гniversity: “Today, student associations are participating in the dialogue between the two countries with genuine interest. Friendship between young people is the key to sustainable cooperation between our peoples.”
Then the floor was yielded to Mr. Andrey Fursenko, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Science Foundation: “The Conference is devoted to reviewing not only our relations, but also to the historical development of Russia and Iran as a whole. In discussions with Iranian colleagues, it is important to remember, understand and convey to young people and students the importance of a historical awareness and responsibility to the world.”
Mr. Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, delivered a welcoming speech: “Our peoples have lived in the same historical space for many centuries, which explains very close and strong ties in the language, culture, adherence to their national traditions. In the modern world, which finds itself under the influence of various anomalies in the value system, this community is our value capital.
Mikhail Leonidovich noted that cooperation between the two countries in various fields had borne fruit: “Russian-Iranian relations have reached an unprecedented high level in their entire history. This is the result of a huge collaborative effort over the past 20 years. Today, for Russia, Iran is not only a neighbor with which we maintain various ties in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect, but also a reliable, important partner in international affairs. We are confident that the results of the Conference will contribute to the creation of new ideas and initiatives for the further development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations.”
The representatives of the Iranian side spoke at the opening of the Conference. Their delegation was headed by Mr. Kazem Jalali, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic. “Iran and Russia are two important neighboring states. We have a very long history of interaction. Our relations, of course, have had ups and downs, but, as Mr. Andrey Fursenko said, we are now at the most important milestone in the development of our bilateral relations, with our relations making a developmental leap,” Mr. Ambassador said. The Iranian delegation included representatives of Shahid Beheshti University, Islamic Free University and Allameh Tabataba’i University.
Also, during the opening of the Conference, the participants were addressed by Mr. Konstantin Mogilevsky, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Historical Society, member of the Presidium of the Council of the Russian Historical Society, Dr. Alexander Chubaryan, Academic Director of the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the GAUGN, Chairman of the National Committee of Russian Historians, co-Chairman of the Russian Historical Society, Mr. Ahmadvand Masoud, Head of the Cultural Representation at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Russian Federation, and others.
The presentations at the Conference were divided into six sections: "Cultural, intellectual and academic parallels and relations between Russia and Iran in the XVIII-XXI centuries", "Russian-Iranian relations at present ", "Relations between Iran and the USSR", "Russian- Iranian relations in the 19th – early 20th centuries”, “The history of the formation of trade and diplomatic relations between Russia and Persia (XVI – XVIII centuries)”, “Iranian-Russian relations through the eyes of Russian students”.
During the discussions, the topics touched upon the relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation and their impact on the Middle East. Some presentations described cultural, historical and economic ties between the two countries.
