7 November 2019
November 7th, a solemn ceremony unfolded during which the Chairman of the Slovak National Council Andrej Danko received the diploma of Honorary Doctor of MGIMO. The guest of honour at the event was the Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. The ceremony took place in the framework of an international conference devoted to the 75th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising.
Vyacheslav Volodin noted his pleasure at the meeting being held in a hall named in honour of Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov, a politician, statesman, patriot who worked relentlessly to make Russia strong. The State Duma Chairman remarked that Yevgeny Primakov’s actions are at the basis of approaches, which are still used today by our country to help build a multipolar world.
Vyacheslav Volodin also spoke about the tightknit cultural and historical ties between Russia and Slovakia, underlining the key role played by the partnership of Slavic peoples.
MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov reminded the audience that Andrey Danko was the initiator of the conference in Moscow, which deals among other things with the Slovak National Uprising. Earlier on, a similar conference was held in Slovakia.
The Rector noted: «Today we want to make the most of this occasion to announce the decision of MGIMO’s Academic Council and to name you Honorary Doctor of our University» while handing to the guest a diploma and a mantle on which is inscribed «For your contribution to the strengthening of peace and international cooperation, friendly relations between nations, including between the peoples of Russia and Slovakia. »
The topic chosen by Andrej Danko for his traditional doctoral lecture was directly related to the theme of the conference as he spoke of the Slovak National Uprising, which was the second largest uprising of small nations during the Second World War.
Andrej Danko also conveyed to students in international affairs in his speech a message that they should always value friendship, realize their dreams and become diplomats and leaders who strive for peace before all else. The speaker also conveyed his thanks to the Russian people and the Russian Federation for everything that they have done for peace, noting that «if there is no Russia, there is no peace».
The Russian Ministry of Defense prepared for the Slovak side in view of this conference some previously classified archives, which were given to Andrej Danko by the Scientific Director of the Russian Military Historical Society and MGIMO Professor Mikhail Myagkov.
The MGIMO Honorary Doctor took questions from the audience, following which the conference continued its work with presentations by Russian and Slovak historians and diplomats. The Director General of the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising S. Michev, the Scientific Director of the Russian Military Historical Society and MGIMO Professor Mikhail Myagkov, the Executive Secretary of the Working Group for the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Europe from Nazism I. Soloviev, the Deputy Director of the Slovak Museum for National Uprising V. Kovachova, the Head of the Department of the History of Slavic Peoples during the World Wars of the Institute of Slavic Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences E. Serapionova, the Founder and Honorary Chairman of the «Civil Union of the Army General Martin Dzur» M. Dzur were among those who gave talks at the conference.
— See the MGIMO web-site for russian version
