On September 28, the forum The Role of Culture in Russian–Iranian Interaction was held at the Russian State University for the Humanities. The event was convened on the initiative of the Iranian side, with the aim of advancing academic and cultural cooperation between Russia and Iran and strengthening humanitarian ties between the two nations.
Among those taking part in the forum were Adviser to the President of Russia Yelena Yampolskaya, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi and other officials and experts.
In her address, the Adviser to the President of Russia emphasised that the promotion of humanitarian ties between Russia and Iran is a matter of priority at the highest level. Cooperation in the cultural, scientific and educational spheres plays a pivotal role in strengthening bilateral relations.
Yelena Yampolskaya noted sustained interest among Iranians in learning Russian and pursuing their education in Russia; the number of Iranian students in Russia has approached the 10,000 mark for the 2025–2026 academic year.
She also highlighted the successful operation, since 2017, of a Russian Centre for Open Education at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran. The Centre’s activities are intended to familiarise Iranian citizens with the Russian language, and with Russian science, culture and education. Moreover, the international humanitarian project Russian Teacher Abroad is already producing positive results: under this initiative, Russian teachers deliver lessons in Russian, teaching both the Russian language and general school subjects at Iranian schools.
Yelena Yampolskaya further noted that, under the auspices of the Russkiy Mir Foundation – established by a Presidential Executive Order and chaired by her – two Russian Centres are currently operating in Iran (in Tehran and Mashhad), alongside two Russkiy Mir offices (in Tehran and Rasht). Another Russian Centre is scheduled to open in Isfahan by the end of 2026. She added that the University of Isfahan is one of the country’s foremost centres for Russian studies.
In her concluding remarks, Yelena Yampolskaya recalled the Russian President’s words, noting that he had repeatedly emphasised Russia’s solidarity with the Iranian people in upholding their national interests, and observed that cooperation between the two nations in culture, education and science had a considerable potential for expansion.