News

Monday 29 April 2019

Conference "The Centenary of Russian-Afghan Relations Establishment and Afganistan Independence"

 
An international scientific conference was held at the Institute of Oriental Studies dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Russian-Afghan relations and the independence of Afghanistan. The conference was organized by the Afghanistan sector staff of the Study Center of the Near and Middle East of the Institute of Oriental Studies and the Islamic Republic Embassy of Afghanistan in Russia.

The conference was solemnly opened by V.V. Naumkin, the President of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Mohammad Latif Bakhand, Extremely Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) in Russia, and Dr. Sc. V.Y. Belokrenitskiy, the Head of the Study Center of the Near and Middle East.

Two sessions were held during the conference, one on the historical development and the other on the current situation in Afghanistan.

The conference was attended not only by the Institute of Oriental Studies staff and representatives of the IRA Embassy in Russia, but also by specialists, Afghan scientists from other regions of Russia and the neighboring countries. Presentations were made by V.N. Plastun (Doctor of History, Professor, Novosibirsk State University) and V.S. Boyko (Doctor of History, Barnaul Pedagogical University, Altai State University). Presentations were also made by Saimeulla Poya (Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences), Ghulam Mohammad Jalal (Chairman of the Afghan Diaspora in Russia), E.D. Ostrovenko (Ph.D., Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Afghanistan 1992), U.V. Okimbekov (Ph.D., Senior Researcher, IV RAS), Rakhmatulla Ravand (representative of the IRA Embassy in Moscow), Yu.P. Laletin (Ph.D., Associate Professor of MGIMO (U), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation), Omar Nessar (Ph.D., Senior Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Mohammad Srvar Anvar (Trade Attache of the IRA Embassy in Russia), A.N. Serenko (political scientist, leading expert of the Center for the Study of Modern Afghanistan), L.B. Aristova (Ph.D., Senior Researcher, IOS RAS).

The conference included presentations of scientific documents on Afghanistan. D.Y. Miloserdov (Senior Researcher, State Darwin Museum) made a presentation of his book “Cold Weapons of Afghanistan”. M.M. Slinkin (Ph.D., Institute of Military History, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) presented previously unpublished works of his father, the famous orientalist M.F. Slinkin. Ph.D. Vladimir Parnitsyb, the officer of the General Staff of the Russian Army  introduced the conference participants with his unique book “Battalions Ask for Water”, that is dedicated to the history of organizing water supply to military units and military camps in the 80's of the 20th century.

The conference was moderated by Shah Sultan Akifi (representative of the IRA Embassy in Russia) and R.D. Daurov (Ph.D., Head of the Sector of Afghanistan, Center for the Study of the Countries of the Near and Middle East, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences).

More than 50 people took part in the conference, including orientalist scholars, veterans of the diplomatic service, representatives of leading universities in Russia (Moscow State University, MGIMO, the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry), young researchers.