Category: Endowment Stories MGIMO Opens First Branch Abroad in Tashkent 11 December 2019 December 9th, the first foreign branch of the University, MGIMO-Tashkent, was officially inaugurated during a solemn ceremony. Students, faculty members, employees, schoolchildren and other guests gathered on the premises of the new building, built in record time with the help of the leadership of Uzbekistan. A photo exhibition devoted to the history and current development of MGIMO «From the Lazarev Institute to Nowadays» and specially put together for the event, was displayed on the walls of the building. The branch was officially opened by A. Abduvakhitov, the State Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, also Rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, A. Kamilov the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan and the Rector of MGIMO A. Torkunov. A. Abduvakhitov reminded the audience that the branch of MGIMO in Uzbekistan was being opened based on an Agreement signed the previous year in the presence of the Presidents of the two countries. «It is a pleasure to say that the project has worked out. We are interested in the cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan being productive in the sphere of diplomacy and leading to the development of education in Uzbekistan,» remarked A. Abduvakhitov. A. Kamilov expressed enthusiasm at the MGIMO branch opening without any delays and noted that it would certainly contribute to strengthening bilateral ties in the training of highly qualified personnel. «The path to creating MGIMO-Tashkent was a natural and logical one. Let us express our sincere gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev, who thought up this project, and to the Russian President, who supported it from the start. Even in Soviet times, during MGIMO’s first few years, the University counted many students from Uzbekistan. Our graduates went back to the Republic and became sought-after experts in all spheres, joining the ranks of the foreign ministry, becoming civil servants, businesspeople, famous journalists and skilled translators. When considering the active ambassadors of Russia and Uzbekistan, almost a dozen of them originate from Uzbekistan and are MGIMO graduates. Among the representatives of the business community of both countries, we can mention the co-founders of the MGIMO Endowment A. Usmanov and F. Shodiev, » remarked A. Torkunov. On the occasion of the inauguration of the branch in Tashkent and in the context of the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of MGIMO, A. Torkunov awarded A. Abduvakhitov, A. Kamilov and the Vice-Rector of UWED M. Bakoev MGIMO’s Order of Merit. Concluding his speech, the Rector introduced to the guests the Director of the Branch, B. Islamov, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Russia from 2003 to 2008 and a MGIMO graduate (1977). The Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan V. Tyurdenev and staff of the Presidential Administration attended the event. Before the ceremony, the guests had the opportunity to visit the new building and the Library, which are a unique blend of classical architecture and modern infrastructure. They could also converse with the first students having already begun their studies at MGIMO-Tashkent in various BA and MA programs and with pupils from the lyceum. To mark the official opening, students had prepared a video in which they disclosed their first impressions about their studies at MGIMO-Tashkent. — See the MGIMO web-site for russian version Vk