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This year it focuses on the prospects for the BRICS countries in global governance, as well as on inter-state cooperation in the framework of trade and economic relations. In 2024, Russia will lead the interstate BRICS association, and the central event will take place in Kazan, Volga Federal District.
According to Vladimir Bogatyrev, Rector of Samara University, developing international relations is one of the main components of promoting Russian education abroad and strengthening partnerships in science, technology and innovation. “By creating a Regional Centre for the Development of Public Diplomacy and International Relations named after Evgeny Primakov, and by holding such events as the Russian Diplomacy Week, the University solves the important task of establishing contacts with leading Russian and foreign institutions, embassies of different states to develop inter-university cooperation and external relations of the Samara region. Besides, International Relations students of Samara University have the opportunity to communicate with representatives of the professional diplomatic community on topical issues of the foreign policy agenda,” said the rector.
Aleksey Chupakhin, Russian Foreign Ministry representative in Samara, said that the events of the Russian Diplomacy Week are important first and foremost for the students of Samara University: “BRICS now brings together 40 % of the world’s population, and there are candidates to join the organization, so the issues and problems that are being addressed at such a high level are of global importance.”
Dmitry Abramov, head of the Department of Investment, Innovation Policy and Foreign Economic Relations of the Samara Region’s Ministry of Economic Development and Investment, agrees with him: “The regional government pays close attention to training specialists in international relations, as this is an important competence for the Samara region – a demand exists from both governmental structures and business. Our region actively interacts with the outside world, with foreign countries, it is export-oriented, so training international students is one of the important priorities of our support. It’s a great experience for young people, an opportunity to ask questions to decision-makers.”
This year’s Russian Diplomacy Week participants include Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brazil to Russia; Ilya Rogachev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the Republic of South Africa and concurrently to the Kingdom of Lesotho; Pavel Knyazev, Ambassador-at-Large for the Russian Foreign Ministry and Sous-Sherpa of Russia to the BRICS; Kirill Babaev, Acting Director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of China and Modern Asia; Dmitri Rosental, Acting Director of the Institute of Latin America, and other international experts and academics with a deep understanding of the domain.
Addressing the forum participants, Farit Mukhametshin, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, said that holding the Russian Diplomacy Week at Samara University has become a good tradition: “Russia acts as one of the sovereign centers of world development, and has a mission to maintain a global balance of power in a multipolar world. The Federation Council attaches great importance to cooperation with the BRICS countries. Strengthening of trade and economic relations with the bloc countries is on the agenda.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brazil to Russia Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares also welcomed the participants of the Russian Diplomacy Week.
Addressing the students, Kirill Babaev, Acting Director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of China and Modern Asia, noted that today is an especially interesting time for those who are just starting their journey in diplomacy: “A completely new system of international relations is taking shape before our eyes; new meanings and ideas are emerging. And Russia plays one of the defining roles in the new system. The world is in need of entirely new instruments, and our foreign policy is facing global challenges. The questions on the agenda are what will be the diplomatic world of the future and Russia’s place in global politics.”
For reference:
According to the Presidential Decree, an organizational committee for the preparation and support of the Russian BRICS chairmanship is to be formed in the near future. The group is currently led by the Republic of South Africa. The Indaba economic conference has recently finished, identifying South Africa’s priorities for BRICS chairmanship. The representative of South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition visualized the BRICS group as standing on three pillars: economic cooperation, trade and industry. This is what will set the stage for the development of the association in 2023.
The Russian Diplomacy Week has been held in the Samara region since 2019. Every year, Samara brings together diplomats, leading federal experts in the field of international relations, representatives of the federal media, and everyone interested in current political issues. During the week, students of Samara University are given the opportunity not only to immerse themselves in an expert evaluation of certain events, but also to take an active part in discussions, participate in conferences, lectures and seminars, attend roundtable discussions and workshops on the history and contemporary problems of international relations.
