Forum “Acquaintance With The Russian Caucasus” Held In KBSU

24 students from MGIMO representing 15 countries, as well as students of the KBSU, IngGU, SKGII and students of the diplomatic class of the KBSU MKOU Gymnasium No. 4 in Nalchik became participants of the Second International Forum “Acquaintance with the Russian Caucasus”, held at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov from March 30 to April 2.

Acquaintance of foreign students of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic began at the airport of Mineralnye Vody, where KBSU volunteers warmly welcomed their guests and introduced them to the extensive program of the forum.

The first item on the study tour of the forum in the republic was the stables of the Malkinsky stud, where the management and staff of this oldest livestock breeding enterprise in the Caucasus told the guests about the breeding culture of the legendary Kabardian breed of horses.

The trip to the Elbrus region turned out to be rich and bright. On the basis of the Elbrus educational and scientific complex of the KBSU, foreign students from MGIMO and KBSU, as well as volunteers, got to know the game, told about the cultural characteristics of their countries and their nationalities. But the most interesting for guests representing the USA, China, Malaysia, France, Iceland, Bulgaria, India, Denmark, Iran, Egypt, Spain, Serbia and Ethiopia, was a hike on the snow-covered slopes at the foot of Elbrus. They learned with curiosity about the traditions and customs of the indigenous peoples of the republic, enjoyed the national dishes and delicacies with pleasure, and were enthusiastically photographed in all places of interest.

In Nalchik, at the main entrance to the KBSU, the forum participants in full ammunition and national costumes were met by a squad of riders of the “Equestrian Circassian Military Historical Society”, telling the guests of the republic about the historical features of the Adygs’ cavalry traditions and skills.

In a cozy cafe at the generously laid tables, foreigners heard playing folk instruments and Kabardian national songs. The study tour ended with a walk to the places of interest in Nalchik.

On April 1, within the framework of the forum, a plenary session was held, where guests of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic had the opportunity to share their impressions of their stay in the Caucasus.

Welcoming the participants of the forum, KBSU Vice-Rector for Pre-University Training and SPE Arthur Kazharov noted the importance of holding a forum for the development of international relations not only at the diplomatic level, but also at the level of personal impressions of citizens of various countries about Russia and the Russian Caucasus.

“I am overwhelmed with pride for the fact that representatives of such a famous university as MGIMO specializing in diplomacy and international relations gathered in our university. KBSU pays great attention to this area of ​​activity, we have representatives from more than 40 countries, a certain infrastructure is being formed at the university, there is a training course International Relations, a university diplomatic class has been opened. I express my gratitude to all the guests who came to us, and I would like to hope that the forum “Acquaintance with the Caucasus” will become traditional,” — stated the vice-rector of KBSU.
The creator and inspirer of the State Duma assistant, teacher of MGIMO and KBSU Aslan Kaskulov told about the goals and objectives of the forum:

“We organized this project in order to attract as many foreign representatives as possible in order to familiarize with the Russian Caucasus, erase all prevailing negative stereotypes and show them what is really happening here, how students in the Caucasus, representatives of different nationalities study and make friends. Our project is developing, the geography of participants is expanding. Today, we see guests from Ingushetia come here. I wish you all that the friendship that originated here lasted for many years. And I thank the KBSU administration, which greatly supported our forum. ”
The representative of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Karina Chuikova spoke with the approval of the idea and goals of the forum. As a representative of the forum’s partner structures, Alexander Konkov, associate professor of the Department of Political Analysis at the Faculty of Public Administration at Moscow State University, spoke about the important mission that the People Name think tank performs:

“We are committed to telling the world about what Russia is, what is its policy. In modern conditions, youth diplomacy can work true miracles. In this sense, telling about Russia at the foot of Elbrus is a productive and useful occupation. And therefore, the more countries take part in the event, the better. ”
Boris Ananiev, a lecturer in the political theory department at MGIMO, read out an appeal by the MGIMO vice-rector for master’s and international programs, Andrey Baikov, in which it was stressed that one of the main goals of the forum was the annual promotion of Russia in the international arena.

Rimma Nagoeva, Director of Gymnasium No. 4 in Nalchik, told those present about the opening of a diplomatic class on the basis of the gymnasium in order to develop students’ skills in public diplomacy and the launch of the new project “Caucasian Model of the United Nations — the hotbed of peace”. Rimma Nagoyeva invited the forum participants to attend the diplomatic class of the gymnasium.

Then the guests from MGIMO shared their impressions about their stay in the Caucasus. Many of the students noted the hospitality of the locals, delicious national cuisine, and what was especially memorable — staying in the mountains, national music, costumes, and, of course, Kabardian horses.

At the end of the plenary session, the art groups of the KBSU prepared a small concert program for the guests.