Youth Festival of Peoples’ Friendship of the World IPACS RANEPA “Russia – Iran”
On May 17th, the traditional Youth Festival of Peoples’ Friendship of the World was held at the Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service (IPACS) of the Presidential Academy, which was dedicated to the interaction between Russia and Iran this time. The event took place within the framework of the international conference session “Public Administration and Development of Russia: Civilizational Challenges and National Interests”.
The Festival of Peoples’ Friendship of the World IPACS RANEPA is a regular event organized by the IPACS International Cooperation Department. The event has become a platform for exchanging expert opinions on topical areas of interaction between Russia and Iran in modern contexts.
Karoline Sikirinskaya, Head of the IPACS International Cooperation Department, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech, noting that the development of the Russia-Iran project line is important for the Institute in the long term.
“Iran is included in the list of Russia’s largest foreign trade partners, so it is very important to develop cooperation in the educational sphere in order to train specialists in Russian-Iranian relations,” – the speaker believes. – “In today’s global environment, it is especially important to provide students with expert information about one of the key countries in the Middle East.”
Welcoming the participants, Alexander Agababov, Deputy Head of the Representative Office of the Oryol Region under the Government of the Russian Federation, emphasized:
“We are really going through a turning point in history. Tectonic changes are taking place in world politics and international relations, I would even say that the moment of truth is coming. Our countries, Russia and Iran, are no exception.”
As part of the event, expert reports were made. Farhad Ibragimov, a Russian political scientist, specialist in Iran’s domestic and foreign policy, expert of the Valdai International Discussion Club, paid special attention to the topic of Russian-Iranian relations in the current geopolitical situation.
“Our foreign policy situation has been oriented towards the east for a year now. Iran is one of the most important states in this region, which has its own unique development experience. The exchange of experience between our countries is very important,” – the expert believes.
Maria Kicha, PhD in Law, Associate Professor of the Theory and History of Law and State Department of the Rostov Branch of the Russian State University of Justice, author of the blog “The First Middle East” and books on the history and culture of the Middle East, made a presentation “Russian-Iranian relations in the context of the current international situation”. According to the speaker, in the current geopolitical situation, more attention should be paid to teaching oriental studies at universities, making it more practice oriented.
Chief editor of the project “Mikhvar. Axis of Resistance”, Islamic journalist, publicist, writer, and translator of Islamic literature Anastasia Yezhova noted the importance of Islamic research for Iranian studies.
“The basis of the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the Shiite doctrine of power. However, you need to understand its meaning. The point is that Islam, from the point of view of the Shia doctrine of power, encompasses all aspects of human life,” – she believes.
The author of the Voice of the Arabs project, Ibrahim Musa, emphasized in his speech that Iran is a reliable rear of Russia in its south, in the Caspian region:
“Iran has a stabilizing influence in the regions of the Caucasus and the Middle East, absorbing Western influence in these territories.”
According to the 3rd year student in the program “Analytics and Consulting in International Relations (with in-depth study of foreign languages)” Victoria Shavoshvili, who made a presentation in the youth section, festival “Russia – Iran” has become an effective expert platform for discussing the integration processes of socio-economic and cultural nature.
“This is a great opportunity to hear feedback from experts, professionals in their field. I made a presentation on the topic “Integration of Iran in the EAEU”. In my opinion, the format of the festival is a wonderful tradition of IPACS.”
The Festival of Peoples’ Friendship of the World IGSU RANEPA ended with a quiz “What do I know about Iran?” prepared by participants of the International Student Club “IPACS InterClub”. The most active participants of the interactive received commemorative prizes – gifts with the symbols of IPACS and IPACS InterClub.
Watch more about the event in our video.