Moscow State Linguistic University held the graduation ceremony of Azerbaijani journalists who got education in the Russian university in the line of the presidential administration of Azerbaijan and the Russian agency of international information RIA Novosti.
Journalist Ilgar Aliyev told VK that “these courses make me able to speak Russian correctly. Now we suppose we speak Russian normally. Secondly, I got journalistic competence. We have worked in Azerbaijan as journalists, but these courses helped me to improve my knowledge.” According to Bella Musayeva, Pr. of Baku Slavic University, the head of the Azerbaijani Language and Culture Center of MSLU, “teaching the Azerbaijani language in Moscow State Linguistic University began in 2007. This year we have the first class of graduates, students of the Translation Faculty of MSLU. I should say the class is successful. The students passed the state exams brilliantly; they got two A’s and five B’s. They defended graduation projects for B’s and even managed to publish a book of translations from the Azerbaijani language. This year one more class of translators was studying. Now they are second year students. Our ties are being extended; training of specialists speaking Azerbaijani is developing successfully. I hope that in the next year we will have one more class: we will prepare journalists speaking Azerbaijani.
In our center we carry out various cultural arrangements connected with the republic and prominent activists of the republic. We have had meetings with the People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, Tamilla Makhmudova, with the People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, Amalia Panakhova. Annually we celebrate, I can say, all national festivals of Azerbaijan, and programs of festivals are being prepared by the students in the Azerbaijani language. It is very interesting that the Russian students tuned into the beat of Azerbaijani culture, loved the language, and loved the republic. Their trips to Azerbaijan, Baku and Baku Slavic University had great importance. They got training courses there. I would like to mention that we were supported by Heydar Aliyev’s Fund in Moscow headed by Leila Aliyeva. We won’t lose the connection with our graduates. Probably they will teach the language someday or translate from it.”
“Working in the CIS area, including Azerbaijan, we approve unique innovative projects. For example, the current program, the program of highest journalistic mastery, the forum which we held in Baku Slavic University in early June, and so on,” the president of MSLU Irina Khaleyeva said. “It was the second school of young translators of fiction and a conference. The decision was made to make BSU a platform for young translators of fiction. It should develop a methodology of modern approaches to fiction texts, as well as a strategy and tactics in the CIS area with Azerbaijan situated in the center of the area, in this great spiritual humanitarian affair. I would like to gratitude Bella Khanum, our common professor with BSU, who is not only the head of the Azerbaijani Language and Culture Center, but also mother and tutor for our students. We analyzed the experience of our 18-month-long cooperation, dear colleagues, and decided that we should teach young Russian journalists at least two foreign languages – Azerbaijani and English. So we will train your future colleagues here, in Russia, we hope. I think this is a nice prospect for continuation and deepening cooperation in various humanitarian spheres.
People with certain work experience came here. Even though the experience is not huge, as they are young people, they have it. So adults came here. Some students came with their children to get this 18-month additional education. First is the emotional part: it is understandable that we were excited. The project was a test. We had to develop the curriculum, distribute hours, understand the level of non-highest journalistic mastery. They had been semi-journalists. Some of them were journalists, others – linguists. So we are pleased with the first course, our first graduation course – it will always be the most exciting and responsible, of course. It is easier to work with a second course, as we correct the mistakes that we have made. I hope there were not plenty of mistakes. The general impression is emotional as well: kind, communicable, open people came to us – representatives of Azerbaijan which I love and we have so many joint projects with it. It doesn’t matter in what sphere we cooperate, in what direction we move together with our Azerbaijani partners, it always works. I am not a superstitious person, but believe we will be successful in all our future undertakings.”
Alan Kasayev, journalist, aide of the editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti, recalled the beginning of cooperation: “The idea of establishing a cooperative department was proposed by Irina Ivanivna Khaleyeva, who at one of first sessions of the expert council on problems of the CIS states under RIA Novosti stated that it would be great to unite the efforts of MSLU as a basic organization on the CIS peoples’ languages and cultures studying and RIA Novosti as one of the leading information structures in the post-Soviet area within the accumulated experience. The initiative was supported by RIA Novosti. A department of highest journalistic mastery was established. And the current ceremony of graduation is one of the first real educational fruits of this department. I’m very glad that the executive administration of Azerbaijani President supported the idea at once. The head of the social-political office of the executive administration, PhD, Professor Ali Gasanov carried out the management of the project, which has a future judging by the second course. We will have third course this year.
Our many-sided cooperation with Azerbaijan is developing. We have remarkable events, for example, the Russian-Azerbaijani Economic Forum which ended in Baku today. The other is the humanitarian forum. We have various inter-regional and cultural links which are borne in neighboring spheres. We have marvelous information projects which are supported by RIA Novosti and ITAR TASS. As for the educational sphere, several hundred Azerbaijani students are studying at various universities. Our program, which is focused on journalists with higher education, i.e. it is their second education, so our program with MSLU is unique not only for Azerbaijan and Russia, but also for other countries. I know that the Committee on the CIS and Compatriots Affairs of the State Duma headed by Valery Slutsky expressed interest in the experience, and we will discuss the question of extension of the experience to other universities at the next session of the committee. To be continued.
Nigyar Akhundova, the aide on humanitarian issues of the embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia, thinks that “humanitarian links occupy one of the most significant places within diplomatic relations. Humanitarian ties create the atmosphere which contributes to big politics. That is why the current remarkable event should be considered through organization of our humanitarian ties. For many years, at least as long as I have been here, we have intensively cooperated with MSLU. We appreciate that our students receive a lot of attention. We appreciate that Irina Ivanovna and the administration of the university dared to fulfill the test project in our country on the basis of our relations. I believe our current graduates are fully-formed journalists, as all of them have relevant practice of work in the Azerbaijani mass media. But the diplomas which they received today have special importance. As my colleague from RIA Novosti has said, along with the professional education which they received, human relationships are important, friendship, colleague relations, which will help further development of cooperation between us. We all know that journalism depends highly on the human factor.”
