Kazan Federal University awarded the Order of Friendship of Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Phouvong Unkhamxen, Member of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, visited his alma mater after 37 years.
The distinguished guests were received by Rector Lenar Safin. The meeting was also unique in that the minister and his wife, Nyan Siwongsay, Director of the Center for Educational Development of South Asia, are graduates of Kazan State University. They studied scientific communism and graduated in 1988. Notably, their compatriots had first enrolled in KSU in 1981, being one of the earliest international students of what was then known as the socialist commonwealth.
Returning to the alma mater, they strolled the corridors of the historic building, toured the university’s museum exhibits, and met with their classmates and professors.
Mikhail Shchelkunov, Chair of the Department of General Philosophy, recalling his years teaching in Mr Unkhamxen’s class, noted that the statesman was noted by his diligence, discipline, and responsibility.
“It was a truly international group. Young people with a high level of preparation and motivation, people with a strong social and political ambition, came here. Therefore, working and teaching at the Department of Scientific Communism was a great honor and responsibility,” the professor said.
And today, addressing the delegates, the Rector expressed hope for the renewal of this tradition.
“In 2023, a memorandum of understanding in higher education was signed between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. I am confident that this document will serve as the foundation for the development of direct inter-university ties. We will certainly be very happy to welcome citizens of Laos as students at our university,” Lenar Safin emphasized.
The visiting statesman, in turn, thanked the university’s faculty for their enormous contribution to teaching Lao students and added that promising areas for developing educational and scientific cooperation with Kazan University are currently being explored. This issue was discussed at the delegation’s meeting today with the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, which was also attended by the Rector.
Finally, Phouvong Unkhamxen presented Lenar Safin with the Order of Friendship of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic—the highest state award conferred by decision of the President.
According to the dignitary, Kazan University was awarded thanks to the university’s policy aimed at strengthening friendly relations between the two countries and expanding bilateral cultural and humanitarian cooperation.