Russian foreign policy explained by head of mission

Aydar Aganin, the head of mission at the Representative Office of the Russian Federation to the Palestinian National Authority, visited Birzeit University and lectured students enrolled in the international studies master’s program on "Russian Foreign Policy after the Second World War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union.”

Speaking at the invitation of the Ibrahim Abu Lughod Institute of International Studies, Aganin explained to the students the change in the Russian foreign policy strategy, focusing on the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the establishment of the Russian Federation. He presented a comparative approach tackling the most relevant events related to the foreign policy of Russia and the Soviet Union.

Aganin referred to the main dynamics of the Soviet-Russian domestic policy to explain how foreign policy is formed within the broader international context, from confrontation with the USA to the Russians’ refusal to accept the dominance of a unipolar power in the international community. He told the students that they should consider Soviet- Russian policies in light of the changes effected by the policies and personalities of Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbačëv, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Yevgeny Primakov, Vladimir Putin and other prime ministers.

Prior to the lecture, Aganin met with the university president Abdullatif Abuhijleh, the vice president for academic affairs Henry Jaqaman, the director of the master’s program of International Studies Ali Jarbawi and the external academic relations officer Amir Khalil. President Abuhijleh pointed out the strong relations that Palestine has with Russia at the official, public and private spheres. He told Aganin that Birzeit University is committed to maintaining its solid ties with friends and supporters like Russia.

Aganin said that the Palestinian Authority and Russia have had a longstanding relationship. Russia has always been a supporter of Palestinians’ rights based on international laws and legal principles, and has made efforts to promote the academic and cultural development of Palestinian youth.