News

Friday 19 March 2021

The All-Russian Association of South Pacific Researchers Has Begun Working

 
The first meeting of the All-Russian Association of Researchers of the South Pacific Region was held on March the 18th, 2021. The event brought together experts in this field from Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Vladivostok), and Australia (Canberra).

Scientists, diplomats, and representatives of the business community have consolidated their efforts for the first time to strengthen the position of the Russian Federation in the South Pacific Region. They preserved the age-old traditions and continuity of the Russian studies of Australia and Oceania.

The Association has several aims: to unite the researchers, to promote their scientific activities, to create favorable conditions for studying the South Pacific Region in scientific, educational, cultural, economic and other fields, to provide information support for scientific research, to attract young scientists to scientific work, and to popularize science.

Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, the President of the Association, the Head of the Center of the South Pacific Studies and the Center of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Institute of Oriental Studies, opened the meeting. He is the founder and the director of the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation. Mr. Miklouho-Maclay spoke on the Association's main directions and activities paying special attention to the development prospects and historical, cultural, trade, economic, political, and diplomatic relations strengthening among Russia and the South Pacific countries. Then he emphasized the preserving South Pacific cultural and spiritual heritage and the importance of studying the national researchers' scientific heritage.

The Embassies representatives of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Indonesia, Australia, and the Kingdom of Cambodia, as well as the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, attended the Association meeting. 

Anatoly Borovik, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Cambodia, noted in his welcoming speech to the Association members the long relations and cooperation history among the Russian Federation and the South Pacific region. The Ambassador expressed confidence that the All-Russian Association of the South Pacific Researchers under the leadership of N.N. Miklouho-Maclay would give a new impetus to national science development and would make an important contribution to strengthening interaction with countries in the fields of culture, language learning, and the establishment of scientific contacts. According to Anatoly Borovik Cambodia is a long-term friendly partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. The country is interested in bilateral academic ties development that will contribute to strengthening not only scientific, but also multilateral humanitarian contacts between the countries.

Alexander Massov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, the Head of History and Culturology Department of the St. Petersburg State Maritime Technical University, told the Association members about the attempts to establish such an association of the South Pacific Region researchers. These attempts were made in the middle of the 20th century. He also noted that  the plans of many generations of the Russian researchers had come true finally in the 21st century. Alexander compared the Association with a “coordinating center”. He added that the organization's main task would be uniting the efforts of the Russian specialists in the South Pacific Region study field and attracting the young researchers to the scientific activities.

Yevgeniy Kanaev, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, National Research University, Higher School of Economics, noted the cooperation importance of the Association with the federal executive authorities and the representative offices of the Russian Federation in the Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Region. Then he also stressed the need to use scientific diplomacy as a communication channel of the Russian Federation and national scientists with the South Pacific island states.

Elena Govor, Ph.D. (history), researcher at the Australian National University (Canberra, Australia), spoke on the Russian traditions of studying the South Pacific Region,  that were one of the oldest in the world. Then she emphasised the Russian scientists' great contribution of exploring the South Pacific on a global scale. Elena Govor noted that one of the Association's tasks was transfering all this knowledge and humanistic ideas and respect of Oceania peoples culture and tranditions to Russian and Oceanian current generations. These generations wanted to know their history and study their culture.

The conference moderator Ekaterina Astafieva, Ph.D., Senior Researcher at the Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania Study Center, the Institute of Oriental Studies, told the Association members about the publication details of the periodical, the scientific journal "South Pacific World". This journal is being published by the Study Center of the South Pacific Region under the auspices of the Association. It is dedicated to history, economy, culture of the South Pacific Region, and the other relevant topics. Ekaterina Astafieva noted that all interested scientists were invited to publish articles in the edition, both in Russian and in English. Then she added that the editorial board would include the leading Russian specialists studying the South Pacific Region.

Membership in the Association is open to anyone interested in history, culture, politics, economy of the South Pacific Region countries. To join the Association fill out a form on its website.

Event organizers:

All-Russian Association of South Pacific Researchers

Study Center of the South Pacific Region of the Center for Southeast Asia, A&O Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Miklouho-Maclay Foundation

Website of the All-Russian Association of South Pacific Researchers: https://association.southpacificworld.org/

Email: info@southpacificworld.org