24 November 2017
November 24th, a myriad of events, dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the signing of an agreement between the Air Force of the Red Army and the Military Command of Fighting France, on the French Air Force engaging in operations in the Soviet Union, unfolded in Moscow. MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov took part in the festivities.
The legendary squadron «Normandy — Niemen» was created following this agreement and was later extended into a regiment carrying the same name. An exposition was held at the House of the Russian Historical Society, presenting unique photographs, original documents and parts of combat aircraft.
One of the main events, organized for the occasion, was a roundtable, which gathered descendants of the French pilots, Russian aircraft experts and military historians and was devoted to discussing the achievements of the Normandie-Niemen squadron. The meeting was moderated by Anatoly Torkunov, who noted that in spite of the difficult current situation in the world, and the numerous factors that spanide us, we must look at our common history and focus on what unites us.
Anatoly Torkunov also spoke about an important initiative, the «Trianon Dialogue», launched by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, which aims to create a new platform for interaction between the representatives of Russian and French civil societies.
— See the MGIMO web-site for more photos and russian version
