Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat at MGIMO

Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat at MGIMO

17 November 2021

On November 17th, the University hosted a ceremony of awarding the title of MGIMO Honorary Doctor to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.

The ceremony was opened by Gennadii Tolstopyatenko, MGIMO First Vice-Rector. He welcomed Mr Faki Mahamat, professors and students of the University who attended the ceremony. At the event the University was represented by the Vice-Rector for Science and Research and Dean of the School of International Relations Andrey Baykov, the Professor of the Department of World Economy Vladimir Shitov, the Professor of the Department of Oriental Studies Andrey Yemelyanov, and the Head of the Department of French Mikhail Ogorodov.

On the part of the African Union, the event was attended by the Director of the Conflict Management Directorate at the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security) Fiona Lortan, the Director of the Department of Partnership Management and Resource Mobilization Jacques Mukwende, the Advisor to the Chairperson on Education, Science and Technology Gao Lemmenyane, the Head of the Administration of the African Union Commission’s Chairperson Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt.

Gennadii Tolstopyatenko announced the decision of the University’s Academic Council to award the title of MGIMO Honorary Doctor to Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission. The First Vice-Rector elaborated on the work of the African Union Commission and the contribution of Mr Faki Mahamat, his career from Associate Professor at Marien Ngouabi University (Brazzaville, Congo) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Chad in 2008–2017 and his work as Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Mr Faki Mahamat has been in office since 2017 and was re-elected for a new four-year term in 2021.

To the sounds of the Gaudeamus anthem, First Vice-Rector Tolstopyatenko presented the guest with a mantle and a diploma of MGIMO Honorary and gave him the floor for a traditional doctoral lecture.

Mr Faki Mahamat thanked the First Vice-Rector of the University and noted that it was a great honor for him to visit MGIMO and be awarded such an honorary title. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission spoke about the meeting held the day before with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a graduate of MGIMO, and urged current students – future graduates – to become true citizens of the world. Mr Faki Mahamat recalled the cooperation of the African Union Commission with MGIMO University and expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation and the implementation of joint programs of MGIMO and Pan-African University. He also spoke about the work of the Commission of the African Union, the long-term fruitful cooperation between the USSR, and then Russia and the countries of the African continent.

Mr Faki Mahamat concluded his lecture by answering numerous questions from students who were interested in the topics of cooperation between Russia and the African continent in the fight against terrorism, the tense situation in Ethiopia, the withdrawal of troops from Mali, as well as the problems and prospects for cooperation between African countries with Russia and China.

In accordance with the Regulations on the Title of MGIMO Honorary Doctor, it has been awarded to many outstanding foreign statesmen, political and public figures, diplomats, as well as scholars working in the field of international relations and foreign policy.