On February 14, a delegation from Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Željko Samardžija, visited Kuban State University as part of an official visit.
It is worth noting that this is the Ambassador’s first visit to Krasnodar. The day before, he met with the head of the Administration (Governor) of Krasnodar Region, V. Kondratyev, and the mayor of the city, E. Naumov. During the visit to KubSU, the guests were introduced to significant achievements of the university’s students and scientists, which were presented at exhibition stands. Works by representatives of the Faculty of Architecture and Design were shown in the art gallery.
The main purpose of the visit of the representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina was to meet with the leadership and students of KubSU. During the official protocol meeting, the guests were greeted by the university’s rector, Mikhail Astapov.
Željko Samardžija expressed his gratitude for the tour and admiration for both the university’s buildings and the numerous awards that the university students have received. He said, «Thank you for giving us the opportunity to interact with the students, for taking us on a tour of your beautiful building, and for showing us the achievements of your students.» The Ambassador also expressed hope that students from his country would soon study at the university.
Mikhail Astapov stated that KubSU is ready to develop relations and will gladly welcome students from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said, «We are interested in developing cooperation and will do everything in our power to move in that direction.» He also noted, «When there is a common interest among all participants, progress becomes inevitable.»
The roundtable meeting was also attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Krasnodar Regional Public Organization «Yugoslav Society «Yugovichi,» Miodrag Živković, Honorary Consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Nizhny Novgorod, Igor Podkolzin, entrepreneur Veselin Savičević, translator Milana Ečimović, employee of the Department of Investment Development of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Administration of Krasnodar Region, Tigran Manasaryan, and the CEO of the NGO «Fund for the Development of Krasnodar Region,» Ilya Shakalov, as well as the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Quality of Education – the First Vice-Rector of KubSU, Temyr Khagurov, the Director of the International Affairs Department of the University, Galina Govorova, and the Deputy Director, Evgeniya Rotay.
As part of the diplomatic mission’s visit, meetings were held with students from the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology, and the Faculty of History, Sociology, and International Relations. Željko Samardžija spoke to the gathered students about the history of his country and answered questions.
They discussed historical events related to Bosnia and Herzegovina, debated current vectors of development, and touched upon political topics. Željko Samardžija enthusiastically answered the questions, noting the similar cultural identity of Russians and Serbs, who make up almost half of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He drew attention to the prolonged policy of pressure from the Western coalition on the Slavic world and emphasized the need for unity among Slavic nations and the importance of preserving traditional cultural values.
At the end of the meeting, Željko Samardžija noted that he was very impressed with the format of communication and the curiosity of the students at our university.
Summing up his visit, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina once again thanked the students and the administration of Kuban State University for the warm reception and expressed hope for further productive cooperation.
