On September 29, MGIMO welcomed a delegation from the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), led by Mohammed Ahmed Al Jaber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates to the Russian Federation 🇷🇺🇦🇪 The Academy was established in Abu Dhabi in 2014 to train specialists in diplomacy and international relations. Since 2021, it has borne the name of Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the President of the UAE. 📄 MGIMO and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy signed a cooperation agreement Ahead of the lecture, the delegation was received by MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov. The talks brought together representatives of MGIMO, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE Embassy and the Diplomatic Academy. The two sides agreed on practical steps towards launching semester-long student exchanges and discussed further areas of cooperation, including plans for a joint dual-degree Master’s programme. The meeting concluded with the signing of a cooperation agreement between MGIMO and AGDA. ➡As part of the visit, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri, Deputy Director General of the Academy, delivered a lecture on the UAE’s foreign policy in a changing international order. The event was moderated by Stanislav Surovtsev, Vice-Rector for International Ties, Youth and Social Policy. 🔵States in a Changing Global Order According to Dr Al Dhaheri, the international system is becoming increasingly multipolar, with new centres of power emerging and competition among major powers intensifying. Against this backdrop, middle powers are assuming a greater role, while technology, energy and data are gaining importance as factors in global politics. 🔵Foreign Policy Principles and the Role of Diplomacy in the UAE The UAE’s longstanding foreign policy principles include respect for state sovereignty, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, maintaining dialogue even amid disagreements, humanitarian assistance and economic cooperation. According to Dr Al Dhaheri, these principles remain unchanged, while the scale and forms of the UAE’s international engagement continue to evolve. Over the past several decades, the UAE has considerably expanded its diplomatic engagement. It has developed mediation mechanisms, maintained channels of communication between parties to conflicts and taken a more active role in discussions on regional security. Trade, investment and technology projects also serve as instruments of foreign policy, helping the UAE build ties across different regions while avoiding excessive dependence on any single economic or political centre. The same approach extends to multilateral diplomacy and cooperation in areas ranging from space and artificial intelligence to nuclear and renewable energy, healthcare and public diplomacy. 🔵Russia–UAE Relations Russia and the UAE continue to develop cooperation in trade and investment, energy, technology, space and healthcare. Diplomatic engagement is another important dimension of bilateral relations, including the UAE’s mediation initiatives. 🔵Regional Security and Long-Term Priorities Dr Al Dhaheri described the events of 2026 in the region as a serious test for the Gulf states’ model of security and openness. In response, the UAE is combining stronger defence capabilities with continued diplomatic engagement, greater economic resilience and more robust infrastructure. Over the coming decade, the UAE intends to expand its ties with Africa and Latin America, contribute to addressing security challenges in the Gulf, and train a new generation of diplomats and engineers. ✨ At the end of the meeting, Dr Al Dhaheri praised MGIMO students for their high level of proficiency in Arabic. 🌐 MGIMO for International Students (RUS) / MGIMO International (ENG)