In the afternoon of April 22nd, we held the first "the Belt and Road" cross-cultural academic seminar. Mammadov Sammir, the representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the People's Republic of China, Rafik Abbasov, the dean of the Confucius Institute of Azerbaijan Language University, Somas Lustamova Tokedi, the professor of Institute of Oriental Studies of Azerbaijan Science Academy, Larissa Smolinkik, the expert of the Education Academy of Science in Ukraine, Shavriyakova Borzenko Irina Leonidovna, the expert of National Education Research Institute of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, and other related scholars attended the meeting. More than 40 relevant persons in charge of Higher Education Research Institute, Foreign Affairs Office and International College of our university, together with the foreign experts and the representatives of relevant major teachers and students from Foreign Language College, College of Humanity and the representatives of excellent international students from the countries along “The Belt and Road”also attended this seminar.
The principal Liqin Zhang and vice principal Jinyun Ye had a cordial meeting with Mammadov Samir, the representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan Embassy in the People's Republic of China, who came to attend the seminar. Zhang introduced the basic situations and development goals of our university, and also introduced some related work about the Confucius Institute co-built by Azerbaijan University of Languages and Huzhou University. Mammadov Samir expressed his congratulations on the successful opening of the grand celebration and seminar of the 60th Anniversary of Higher Education and the 102nd Anniversary of the Founding of Huzhou University.He pointed out that the relationship between Azerbaijan and China had been growing up for years. As the first country who responded to China's "Belt And Road Initiative", Azerbaijan hoped that they could have more exchanges and cooperation with China, and wished more countries along the road would join the construction of "Belt And Road Initiative", so as to strengthen the bound of the countries and people that are alongside the road, as well as have a closer cooperation and friendship between each other. The two countries have an in-depth and friendly discussion on the "Belt And Road Initiative", strengthening the bilateral cooperation, deepening exchanges between the two countries in education, culture, construction of friendly cities and other aspects, and had a productive communication in the practical significance and the implementation approaches of the Cross-cultural Center's service of our university to the China-Azerbaijan economic and trade cooperation and the culture exchanges, and had reached a consensus eventually.
At the seminar, the person in charge of the Foreign Affairs Office / International College said that blending in the integration of Huzhou and cooperation between universities and countries, fully mobilized the economic, social and cultural advantages of Huzhou as a "world silk source", and serving "Belt and Road Initiative"is a new approach to the leapfrog development of our university. The opening of the first "the Belt and Road" cross-cultural academic seminar based on Huzhou, was a vivid practice of national academic and cultural exchanges in Russian-speaking countries along the " the Belt and Road ".
At the seminar, Rafik Abbasov, the dean of the Confucius Institute of Azerbaijan University of Languages, made an academic report called "the Silk Road: past, present and future"; and Somas Lustamova Tokedi, the professor of Institute of Oriental Studies of Azerbaijan Science Academy, expounded the inseparable historical, social and cultural connections between Azerbaijan and "Belt and the road Initiative" in details from the historical point of view. Yan Dengke, the director of Higher Education Research Institute of our university―, from the education of "Belt and Road Initiative", analyzed the domestic situations of third-party assessment, and provided referential measures for the existing problems；Du Jun, the party branch secretary Foreign Affairs Office and International College, and the foreign expert Lida gave two reports successively named "Review and prospect culture exchanges between China and Azerbaijan" and "The excellent traditional concepts of history and culture of 'Belt and Road Initiative'" and respectively started from the historical process of cultural development of Azerbaijan and China, explored the differences and congruence between the two cultures, to build a bridge for the two civilizations. Victor and Chevalier kova Borzenko Irina Leonidovna, the foreign experts respectively made two reports named "the Humanistic Communication and Cooperation between China and the Countries along ' the Belt and Road '" and "Chinese Language is a tool of cross-cultural communication", from the level of cross-cultural communication, emphasizing the importance of internationally popularizing Chinese Language during the development of "Belt and Road Initiative"; foreign expert Liza Smolinkik introduced the activities of Chinese Spring Festival in Russia and Ukraine in the report named "Cultural Exchanges and Co-Prosperity of Belt and Road Initiative", and emphasized the meaning of running activities about countries' years.
In recent years, the Party committee of our university has attached great importance to internationalization work, and has launched the Cross-culturel Research Center in cooperation with Institute of Information Studies CASS, Azerbaijan University of Languages, Educational Center of the National Institute of Education, and the Republic of Belarus and Pedagogy NAES of Ukraine. The " Belt and Road Initiative" cross-cultural academic seminar was held with four research directions including education and language, diplomacy and politics, trade and tourism, culture and society, combining the national strategy and development on innovation of university closely, providing valuable experience for future research of Cross-cultural Research Center, and it also gave guidance advice to our school about how to serve the country's " Belt and Road Initiative". It has positive significance in promoting discipline construction of the Russian language program, construction of Confucius Institute, personnel training, local service, academic innovation and other aspects of multidimensional developments of our university.
Correspondent: Xiaoyi Fei
Student reporters: Yiyan Huang, Qinyi Li