St Petersburg University experts take part in a meeting of the Russian International Affairs Council
The main topic of the meeting was the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation approved by the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation on 31 March 2023. The meeting also discussed the tasks arising from the Order for the domestic community of international affairs experts. The event was attended by: Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Nikolai Skvortsov, Dean of the Faculty of Sociology at St Petersburg University; and Konstantin Khudoley, Head of the Department of European Studies at St Petersburg University.
According to Konstantin Khudoley, Professor of St Petersburg University, within the framework of the Foreign Policy Concept, Russia’s political elite presents its views on world development and the international situation to both citizens of our country and the outside world. Thus, it is only natural that the new document differs from the 2016 concept.
‘For example, of particular note that there has been a sharp increase in attention to the Arctic and Antarctica (for the first time they have been singled out as separate destinations) and the global South. At the same time, Russia is striving not to lose its position in more traditional areas, including Europe,’ Professor Khudoley stressed. ‘In a rapidly changing international environment, the analysis carried out by scholars of international affairs and experts in a variety of fields will certainly be much-in-demand.’
The Russian International Affairs Council was established in 2011 with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Its members include well-known politicians, diplomats, scholars and experts, and representatives of business and public organisations. The main task of the council is to develop practical recommendations for Russian organisations, ministries and agencies involved in foreign policy.