A deeper understanding of the peculiarities of the development of this region will contribute to the strengthening of Russia’s position in Latin America.

On October 8, 2024, the Regional Centre for the Development of Public Diplomacy and International Relations named after Yevgeniy M. Primakov hosted an off-site meeting of the Association of Researchers of the Ibero-American World, a region that unites Latin American countries, Spain and Portugal.

The event was attended by:

• a delegation from the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences headed by Director Dmitry Rosenthal;
• a representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia Valery Morozov;
• representatives of universities of St. Petersburg and Kazan;
• students and scientists of Samara Korolev University.

– At present, cooperation with Latin American countries is one of the most important priorities of Russia’s foreign policy. We are very honored to receive at Samara University diplomats, leading scientists and researchers of the Ibero-American world, with whom we associate this direction in our country. Thank you for taking the time to come to us, to meet not only our scholars, but also our students, and to open for us the opportunity to join the Ibero-American club,” – emphasized Mikhail Leonov, opening the meeting of the association.

Eduardo Villegas Mejias, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mexico to the Russian Federation, greeted the participants of the meeting in an online format.

– In today’s world full of challenges and opportunities, the importance of intercultural, business and scientific cooperation cannot be overestimated. Our task is to achieve mutual understanding between our countries, to create a platform for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience. Let us together open new horizons, exchange opinions and build a future in which mutual respect and cooperation will be the basis of our relations, – said Eduardo Villegas Mejias.

He wished the participants further success, new victories and achievements in research activities.

Dmitry Rosenthal, Director of the Institute of Latin America at the Russian Academy of Sciences, agreed with the thesis that cooperation with the Ibero-American world in the economic, political and cultural spheres is promising. At the same time, he noted that Russia has lost a lot in the study of this region:

“For various reasons, strong and experienced specialists have left this subject. By and large, the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences today is the only comprehensive center for the study of Latin America in our country. We must correct this situation, create an infrastructure for research, and Moscow specialists alone will not do. We need to do this together, together with regional universities. We are very interested in joint scientific projects and educational programs”.

The cooperation between Samara University and the Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences started in April 2022 with the signing of a corresponding agreement. Teachers of the capital’s institute give lectures at the university’s site, Samara International relations program students undergo practical training in Moscow. One of Samara University graduates, Egor Simanov, has become an employee of the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Valery Morozov, Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia, who has served as ambassador to a number of Latin American countries, expressed confidence that the conference in Samara would help to broaden and deepen knowledge and understanding of the processes that are taking place today in the Western Hemisphere of our planet.

“Latin America is part of the world friendly to Russia. The role and importance of this region is constantly growing. Globalization has allowed Latin American countries to get involved in global processes, to turn from an object of world politics into a subject of transformation of international relations. It is necessary to fight for Latin America, to strengthen cooperation and positive trends in all spheres,” – said Valery Morozov.

He reminded that Latin American countries did not support sanctions against Russia, do not supply arms to the conflict zone and are in favor of diplomatic methods of settling the situation between Russia and Ukraine

“Our cooperation with this region is based on pragmatic approaches, not directed against anyone. By the way, this direction of foreign policy was laid down by Yevgeniy Maksimovich Primakov, after whom the Regional Center for the Development of Public Diplomacy and International Relations, where we are located, is named,” Valery Morozov stressed.

In his opinion, new realities and new challenges and threats require more in-depth research work, the results of which will contribute to strengthening the position of our country in Latin America.

The Samara Region Government was represented at the meeting by Dmitry Abramov, Head of the Department of Investment, Innovation Policy and Foreign Economic Relations of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investment of the region.

“The Samara region has always been oriented towards broad international relations. Regional companies, business representatives in recent years are actively interested in Latin American countries, we receive requests for participation in exhibitions, for assistance in finding partners in these countries. But without quality research, without specialists, we will not be able to move forward either in investment or humanitarian cooperation,” – said Dmitry Abramov.

He thanked Samara University named after Korolev for the excellent organization of the meeting. Korolev University for the excellent organization of the meeting.

In Samara, members of the Association of Researchers of the Ibero-American World discussed topical issues related to socio-economic and political transformations in the countries of the region, cultural exchange, as well as scientific interaction with Russian institutes and research centers.

The main result of the meeting was the signing of a roadmap for cooperation between Samara University, the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Association of Researchers of the Ibero-American World, which envisages joint scientific and educational projects and events, practical training and internships for students, visiting lectures, seminars and master classes.

Source: СОВА .