MGIMO School of Business and International Proficiency

MGIMO School of Business and International Proficiency

MGIMO-Tashkent. First abroad!

MGIMO-Tashkent. First abroad!

9 December 2019

MGIMO-Tashkent. First abroad!

December 9th, the first foreign branch of the University, MGIMO-Tashkent, was officially inaugurated.

December 9th, the first foreign branch of the University, MGIMO-Tashkent, was officially inaugurated.

Students of Bachelor, Master and Lyceum programs, faculty members, employees, 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 of MGIMO «From the Lazarev Institute to Nowadays» was presented 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 A.Torkunov, the Rector of MGIMO.

A.Abduvakhitov reminded the audience that MGIMO foreign Campus 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 in short time and noted that it would certainly contribute to strengthening bilateral ties in the training of highly qualified professionals.

«The path to creating MGIMO-Tashkent was a natural and logical one. Let us express our sincere gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who initiated this project, and to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who supported it from the very beginning. Even in Soviet times, during MGIMO’s first years, the University counted many students from Uzbekistan. Our graduates went back to the Republic and became brilliant 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, dozens 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 Alisher Usmanov and Patokh Chodiev,» remarked A.Torkunov.

On the occasion of the inauguration of MGIMO-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, Bakhtiyor Islamov, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Russia from 2003 to 2008 and a MGIMO graduate (1977).

The Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Vladimir Tyurdenev and members of the staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia were among the prominent guests of 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 BA and MA programs and with students of the Lyceum programs. To mark the official opening, students had prepared a video in which they disclosed their first impressions about their studies at MGIMO-Tashkent.