The YNU delegation holds a meeting with representatives from Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

A six-member delegation from Yunnan University (YNU) visited YNU’s partners in Russia and Iran from April 23 to 28 to enhance people-to-people exchanges and discuss specifics of their continued partnership.

The delegation was led by Yang Lin, former Party secretary of YNU. 

In Russia, they visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and met with the university’s vice-president Dmitry Arsenyev, as well as other representatives. 

The vice-president welcomed the YNU representatives before briefing them on his university’s teaching, scientific research, training, and international cooperation. 

Arsenyev expressed hope that the application for the joint software engineering training program conducted by the two universities would prove successful. 

Yang thanked the vice-president and outlined YNU’s history and development trajectory. He also reviewed the work done by the two universities in applying for the training program, and expected more efforts to be made to further strengthen their partnership. 

The YNU delegation also visited the Russian university’s laboratory of human intelligence. 

During their visit to Lomonosov Moscow State University, the YNU delegation met with Nicolay Nikolaevich Sysoev, dean of the university’s Faculty of Physics and academic at the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. 

Both parties outlined their respective research projects and discussed their cooperation in joint training, research, and people-to-people exchanges.

Yang signed an agreement between the two universities with the dean of academic exchanges.

Following the meeting, Yang had a brief conversation with Victor Antonovich Sadovnichy, president of the university. Both sides voiced their desire to enhance cooperation. 

The YNU representatives also visited the laboratories at the university’s Faculty of Physics and Museum of Geology.

While in Iran, the delegation visited the University of Tehran, where they attended a forum on the development of the university’s Confucius Institute. 

More than 40 people, including representatives from the Confucius Institute of North South University, the Confucius Institute of the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, the Myanmar Mandalay Fuqing Confucius Classroom, and the Confucius Institute of the University of Tehran, attended the event. 

Wang Qingjun, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Iran, delivered some remarks during the forum. He praised the achievements of the Confucius Institute of the University of Tehran and expressed his desire for a stronger partnership between the two universities.

Mohammad Bagher Ghahramani, vice-president of international affairs of the University of Tehran, delivered a speech introducing the university’s history and current research projects.

Following the workshop, representatives from the two universities held a meeting and listened to the work report of the Confucius Institute of the University of Tehran. Yang put forward 10 proposals for developing the partnership between the two universities, including introducing a scholarship for exchange students, carrying out more joint research on the Belt and Road Initiative, and establishing more joint training programs.

Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi, president of the Iranian university, announced during the meeting that the university would run the Confucius Institute as an independent school. 

The Chinese delegation also visited China’s embassy in Iran and delivered a work report to Pang Sen, the Chinese ambassador. 

Lastly, they attended a workshop on China-Iran publications, where Yang delivered some opening remarks.

YNU representatives pose for a photo with representatives from Lomonosov Moscow State University. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The YNU delegation poses for a photo with attendees of the forum on how to develop a Confucius Institute at the University of Teheran. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]