Yesterday, the International Scientific Conference entitled ”Asia in the Modern World" was held at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. "The Asia-Pacific region, South Asia, is becoming the main motive for the economic development on our planet and, as a result, the most important center of political and military activity," acting rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Troyansky said.
According to him, Natalia Bazhanova, Professor, Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy, made a significant contribution to the study of Asia and the development of cooperation with Asian countries: "In recognition of her services to the Academy and Russian Oriental Studies, in 2014, Natalia Bazhanova was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy, and the Center for Eurasian Studies of the Institute for Actual International Problems was named after her. We dedicate this conference to the memory of the scientist."
Mikhail Troyansky
“There has not yet been a more serious turn in the development of world politics than the one we see today. We are experiencing a shift in the gravity center of the global economy and politics to Asia. In this discourse, the emphasis is placed on the Far East as well,” the scientific director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Vitaly Naumkin noticed.
Vitaly Naumkin
Yevgeny Bazhanov, Director of the Institute of Actual International Problems, said that Natalya Bazhanova brought up a whole galaxy of outstanding students, including future South Korean President Kim Dae-jung: "They worked together on his thesis and called it a policy of rapprochement with North Korea and the Sunshine Policy. In 1992, Kim Dae-jung defended his thesis at the Diplomatic Academy, in this hall, and in 1998 he became the president of South Korea. The strategy embodied in his thesis was put into practice, and it was successful. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for it.”
Yevgeny Bazhanov
The scientific contribution of Natalia Bazhanova to the study of the region was noted by the ambassadors of China, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea.
The Deputy Director of the First Asian Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Igor Sagitov, said: “Natalya Bazhanova’s works - I am familiar with the most of them through reading her books about Korea - are not limited to the Korean peninsula. She studied other countries, particularly China. Natalia Bazhanova studied the economy of these countries, politics, culture, and history, and scrupulously analyzed all the political liaisons between these countries."
Igor Sagitov
"Natalya Bazhanova is one of those, who saw the whole state that did not exist in those years - there was a white spot on the territory of South Korea. She saw the most important state there and made tremendous efforts for its creation by the leadership of our country,” the political columnist and journalist, Leonid Mlechin said.
Leonid Mlechin
The workshops on research in the field of Korean studies, the Asia-Pacific region, and others were held in the framework of the conference.
