13 June 2018
June 13th, during a solemn ceremony, the Foreign Minister of Greece, Nikos Kotzias was awarded the diploma of Honorary Doctor of MGIMO. The guest had a meeting with the management of the University and gave a talk to students and faculty members.
MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov introduced the guest to those gathered, describing him as a man of exceptional talent, who during his career has achieved outstanding results in science, diplomacy and politics. The Rector also spoke about the University’s tradition of teaching the Greek language, which goes back to the 1960’s.
Then Anatoly Torkunov announced the decision of MGIMO’s Academic Council to grant an Honorary Doctorate to Nikos Kotzias, in recognition of his personal contribution to strengthening international peace, cooperation and friendly relations among nations. As the «Gaudeamus» anthem played and all clapped, the Rector handed the guest a mantle and a diploma and noted that this title is awarded rarely and only when the Council comes to a unanimous decision.
Nikos Kotzias devoted his doctoral lecture to Greece’s foreign policy strategy, describing the twelve main principles, which guide his country’s foreign policy. The minister also spoke about a number of regional problems Greece is confronted with, including the Cyprus issue, instability in the Balkans, Russia-EU relations and the Middle East. After the lecture, the guest took questions from the audience.
— See the MGIMO web-site for russian version
