22 February 2023
On February 21st–22nd, MGIMO representatives paid a landmark visit to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Headed by the Vice-Rector for Students’ Development and International Affairs Stanislav Surovtsev, the delegation held seven major meetings, signed an agreement with the leading university of Ethiopia, and cemented agreements on cooperation with the African Union.
The delegation included the Deputy Vice-Rector and Advisor at the Rector’s Office Ekaterina Shuvalova, the Executive Secretary of the MGIMO-based “Russia – Africa: What’s Next?” Forum’s Program Committee Igor Tkachenko and the Deputy Executive Secretary Valery Zhuchkov. The trip was organized within the framework of the “Priority – 2030” strategic academic leadership program and supported by the MGIMO Endowment.
The delegation was received by the President of Addis Ababa University, Professor Tassew Woldehana. The parties discussed important aspects of interaction between the two universities, as well as plans for the future. The meeting resulted in the Memorandum of Cooperation between the institutions, providing for the possibility of launching academic exchanges in the near future.
The Russian Embassy in Ethiopia hosted a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Yevgeny Terekhin. The Ambassador expressed full support for MGIMO initiatives and put forward his proposals for the program to expand the University’s presence on the continent.
As part of the visit, talks were held with the Ethiopian Minister of State for Education Samuel Kifle. The meeting was devoted to promising projects for MGIMO’s entry into the African continent, as well as educational products that have been developed for Ethiopian citizens. Stanislav Surovtsev confirmed MGIMO University’s readiness for more active cooperation and coordination with local authorities in launching an international school Olympiad in the Republic.
Meetings were also held at the Institute of Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, where the delegation was received by the Executive Director of the Institute Desalegn Ambaw and at the African Leadership Excellence Academy which was presented by its head Mehret Debebe. The talks concerned the signing of memorandums of cooperation, joint professional development programs for Ethiopian civil servants, as well as the involvement of experts from the Ethiopian Institute of Foreign Affairs in the research carried out at MGIMO University. In addition, the parties expressed interest in holding online lectures by the University’s professors.
The issues of youth cooperation with Ethiopia were also raised during the trip. The Deputy Vice-Rector Ekaterina Shuvalova spoke at the meeting of youth leaders of Russia and Ethiopia, telling those present about MGIMO University, new projects on the African track and the activities of student organizations in this area.
The audience was also addressed by Igor Tkachenko, Executive Secretary of the MGIMO-based “Russia – Africa: What’s Next?” Forum’s Program Committee. He noted the importance of developing relations between Russia and Ethiopia, putting forward an initiative to create an expert African youth council under the Forum’s Program Committee. Following the meeting, about 80 prominent African young activists and public figures joined the Council. The representative of the Forum’s Secretariat Valery Zhuchkov talked about the history of the Forum, its structure and the implemented projects.
The meeting resulted in signing of a trilateral memorandum of cooperation between the MGIMO-based “Russia – Africa: What’s Next?” Forum, DZ consulting company and the African Youth Development and Excellence Center. The agreement aims to comprehensively promote youth cooperation between Russia and Africa.
MGIMO delegates Ekaterina Shuvalova and Valery Zhuchkov also had a meeting at the African Union Headquarters with the leadership of the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate. Particular attention was paid to the plans to organize the first Model of the African Union in Russia at MGIMO University and the youth participation in the Russia–Africa Summit, which will be held this July in St. Petersburg.
The representatives of the African Union supported the University’s proposals and offered to deepen and expand the areas of cooperation. In addition, it was agreed that the African Union Directorate will co-organize the upcoming Model at MGIMO University.
During the visit, a separate website – africa.mgimo.ru – was developed and presented to improve interaction with the African audience. It will serve as a single information window for students on the African continent.
During the visit, the delegation of the University was accompanied by a representative of the Russian Embassy in Ethiopia, Counsellor Artem Chesnokov.
