Ambassador of Venezuela visits St Petersburg University
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Russian Federation Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez has given an open lecture at St Petersburg University. During the working meeting, the parties discussed opportunities for academic collaboration and outlined priority areas for the development of a network of partnerships and collaborations.
On behalf of Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, the meeting was held by Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University. He addressed the guests with a welcoming speech and expressed hope that the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela would be actively engage in the implementation of the joint educational and research projects, especially academic exchange.
Today, more than 500 universities are partners of St Petersburg University. The University’s staff and students have the opportunity to take part in academic mobility programmes and spend one or two semesters in another country as a student or intern at a foreign university.
"Today, 7,000 international students from 140 countries study at St Petersburg University. We hope that thanks to your support, we will establish strong ties with leading universities in Venezuela and this year we will have our first Venezuelan student," said Sergey Andryushin.
St Petersburg University is one of the largest and leading classical universities. The University unites research potential of various fields in order to advance research, offer the most popular academic programmes and produce high-calibre graduates.
Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expressed particular interest in the University’s research conducted in the field of artificial intelligence. He also focused on the main areas of study that are closely related to AI technologies.
The Vice-Rector of St Petersburg University provided data showing that the University consistently occupies a leading position in the Russian Federation among research centres engaged in the development of artificial intelligence and offers a number of academic programmes in AI. The special status of St Petersburg University allows the University to enjoy greater academic freedom, independently implement unique research projects, and work directly with various ministries and government bodies, said Sergey Andryushin. "We have the opportunity to annually allocate scholarships for the best students and prepare them for those specialties that are most in demand in the economy and are of greatest interest to the country," emphasised Sergey Andryushin.
Academic programmes in artificial intelligence at St Petersburg University
During the discussion of cooperation prospects, the diplomat offered to assist the University with establishing partnerships and collaborations between St Petersburg University and leading universities in Venezuela. "We strive to create all necessary conditions for supporting talented youth. Joint work of our universities in this area can provide new and extensive opportunities. We are grateful to St Petersburg University for its attention to our country and are interested in fruitful cooperation," emphasised Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez. He also added that the Venezuelan embassy is ready to actively assist in deepening and expanding academic ties between the two countries.
The initiative to open the Simón Bolívar Department at the University was put forward by Lazar Jeifets, Professor in the Department of American Studies at St Petersburg University. He noted that the legacy of Simón Bolívar is of particular importance not only for Venezuela, but also far beyond the country. The views of the far-sighted politician are relevant today, especially in the context of the emergence of a multipolar world.
Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez fully supported the idea of opening the department and promised to provide comprehensive administrative support. The parties agreed to make every effort to ensure that the project is already implemented by the opening of the Ibero-American Forum at St Petersburg University.
From 1 to 3 October 2025, St Petersburg University and the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences will hold the 7th International Forum "Russia and Ibero-America in a turbulent world: from shared challenges to joint solutions". The forum is the most representative event in Russia that focuses on the social, political and economic processes of Latin America, its history and culture.
Following the working meeting, its participants agreed to jointly prepare and send official proposals to the relevant structures of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and continue discussing the details of possible cooperation.
During the visit, the guests visited the Centre for Ibero-American Studies at St Petersburg University. During a short tour of the centre, Viktor Kheifets, Director of the Centre for Ibero-American Studies at St Petersburg University and Professor of St Petersburg University, spoke about the centre’s main areas of activity, including: strengthening scientific cooperation, advancing interdisciplinary research on Ibero-American issues and introducing research results into the teaching and learning process.
During the informal conversation, the topic of historical memory was touched upon in the context of the feat of the Soviet people in the fight against Nazism. The Venezuelan ambassador expressed deep respect for the feat of the Soviet people in the fight against Nazism. "On the 80th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, I took part in the laying of flowers at Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, where many people came to honour the memory of their ancestors. We did this with conviction, with pride, because it was the Victory for all of humanity," said Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez.
Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez gave an open lecture titled "Bilateral relations between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Russian Federation". He told the students at St Petersburg University about the history of cooperation between the two countries. Students learned about the national hero of Venezuela Francisco de Miranda, who became the first world-famous Venezuelan to visit Russia and was personally acquainted with Catherine the Great, Alexander Suvorov and Grigory Potemkin. The diplomat also said that the Russian Empire was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of the Republic of Venezuela in 1857. This event marked the beginning of friendly relations between our countries.
Although there are 11,000 km between our countries, we will do everything to ensure close cooperation.
Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Russian Federation Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez
The diplomat also highlighted the main areas of development of cooperation between the two countries at the present stage, including: economy, energy, military, technical cooperation, education, and transport. The ambassador emphasised that Venezuela is still one of Russia’s most important allies in South America and the countries share common values.