ASU Specialists in Iranian Studies Tell Their Colleagues about Cooperation with the University of Guilan

The 4th All-Russia Forum of Specialists in Iranian Studies and Farsi Teachers took place on December, 14. Astrakhan State University was represented by Oleg Kulakov, the Head of the Department of Foreign History & Regional Studies, and Zhuldyz Sultanova, a Farsi teacher of the Department of Asian Languages.

The forum took place at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow under the chairmanship of Mehdi Sanai, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation, and Igor Abylgaziev, the Director of the MSU Institute of Asian and African Studies. The forum gathered representatives of Oriental departments of leading universities and scientific and research organizations of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Makhachkala, Vladikavkaz, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, etc.

Vladimir Kulakov told his colleagues about the long history of studying Farsi in Astrakhan, connected with the crucial importance of the city geopolitical status in the Caspian region. He mentioned achievements of ASU students who always gain the lead at the MSU annual competition in the Farsi language and literature. According to him, the university international ties with the University of Guilan play an important role in this regard. Now 15 students of the ASU Faculty of Foreign Languages, Faculty of History and Faculty of the Social Communications are undertaking an academic mobility programme there, while Prof. Rafik Usmanov, the Head of the Department Political Science & International Relations, delivered lectures at the Iranian university in spring.

for further prospects of development of the Iranian studies at ASU, our representative mentioned agreements, reached with researchers of the University of Guilan within the framework of joint scientific and research activities, related to the history of the Russian-Iranian relations and studies of archeological monuments of the Iranian culture in Astrakhan region.