St Petersburg University opens a representative office in the Republic of Belarus
The grand opening of the new representative office of St Petersburg University has taken place in Minsk. The project was implemented in the format of the Belarusian-Russian Centre for Modern Educational Technologies at MITSO International University.
The event was attended by: Sergei Afonin, Adviser to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus; Vladimir Pozdniakov, Rector of MITSO International University; Yuri Shevtsov, First Vice-Rector of MITSO International University; Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University; Nikolai Parfenenok, Deputy Dean of the School of International Relations at St Petersburg University; Daria Iakimova, Consultant of the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) in the Republic of Belarus; and other guests.
Representative offices of St Petersburg University abroad
Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University, addressed the participants in the opening ceremony with a welcoming speech on behalf of Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University. He noted that the opening of the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Minsk is an important step in strengthening humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Belarus. This is the first representative office of the University in the Republic of Belarus, the primary purpose of which is to develop joint academic and cultural projects to bolster Russian-Belarusian ties and promote the integration of the Union State. As part of the activities, it is planned to hold scientific conferences, seminars, and public lectures featuring prominent Russian scholars and public figures, as well as organise summer and winter schools on topical issues. Additionally, an important area of cooperation will be the implementation of training and expert events in collaboration with the Centre for Occupational Safety and Health at MITSO International University.
St Petersburg University has already opened its representative offices in the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, Uzbekistan (in the Navoi Free Economic Zone), Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Spain, the Republic of Korea, Greece, Iran, and the Republic of Moldova. I am confident that the opening of the Representative Office in the Republic of Belarus will strengthen academic ties, contribute to the implementation of joint scientific and academic projects, facilitate the exchange of experience, and promote the development of innovations.
Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University
The first event, "Networking of students from Russia and Belarus," has already taken place in the new representative office of the University in Minsk. Presentations of student communities, scientific and social projects, and start-ups were made by students from St Petersburg University. They were supervised by Nikolai Parfenenok, Deputy Dean of the School of International Relations at St Petersburg University. Mariia Goncharova, Secretary of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, and Danila Polianskii, Chairman of the Student Council at MITSO International University, spoke about their projects. Additionally, as part of the activities of the international accelerator at St Petersburg University, a workshop on the generation of entrepreneurial ideas was held.
During the visit to the Republic of Belarus, the University delegation also toured the educational and practical laboratory of modern identification technologies, the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture, the Centre for Occupational Safety and Health, and the forensic training ground of at MITSO International University. The delegation also visited Belarusian State University, and the national state memorial complex "Khatyn."