Meeting of Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies, RAS with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Somalia Mr. Mohamed Abukar Zubair

On May 19, 2025, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economics, Professor Irina Olegovna Abramova held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Somalia Mr. Mohamed Abukar Zubeir. The main topic of the dialog was the strengthening of scientific cooperation between Russia and Somalia.

Mohamed Abukar Zubeir emphasized the importance of restoring historical ties between the two countries and called Russia a reliable ally of Somalia. He recalled the working visit of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation M.L. Bogdanov to Mogadishu on April 27. According to the Ambassador's statement, it was the first visit of this scale since 1977.

On the eve of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Somalia, which will be celebrated on September 11 this year, the Ambassador expressed interest in developing scientific contacts, including through joint research and publications.

Irina Olegovna noted that the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences traditionally implements a multidirectional scientific approach and fully supports the development of academic dialog as a key area of Russian-African cooperation. She suggested organizing a joint conference with the participation of Somali and Russian researchers, as well as scientists from other African countries, noting that the Institute has a suitable platform at its disposal for such an event.

Alexander Alekseyevich Tkachenko, Head of the Centre for North African and African Horn Studies, Ph.D. in Economics, who was also present at the meeting, presented the directions of scientific activities of the Institute and suggested possible points of interaction. He drew attention to the existing trend in Russia to establish branches of universities in African countries and expressed the readiness of IAS RAS to assist in the development of similar projects in Somalia.

At the end of the meeting Irina Olegovna expressed her interest in establishing scientific ties with Somali universities and outlined the possibility of concluding memorandums of cooperation. It was also noted that Somali scientists can publish the results of their research in the journals published at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Mohamed Abukar Zubair expressed readiness to promote cooperation between Russian and Somali scientific centers. The parties agreed to continue contacts.