Valdai Club

When a delegation of 13 presidents from the leading Iranian universities with their deputies and directors of international affairs departments came to Moscow in November 2015, few people believed the trip would open a new chapter of scientific diplomacy in long-standing bilateral ties. The first meeting of the presidents of Iranian and Russian universities, held at the initiative of Moscow State University and the University of Tehran under the skillful and open-hearted guidance of their presidents Prof. Viktor Sadovnichyi and Prof. Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi, respectively, produced a signed memorandum whereby   all the participating universities agreed to continue the dialogue and create conditions for expanding cooperation. Also, two secretariats in Tehran and Moscow assumed responsibility for monitoring issues related to the promotion of a major bilateral partnership in science of these two countries.

Transport routes are like rivers, where water always fi nds a way to continue its fl ow. It is not a coincidence that transport routes are often referred to as arteries. But what comes first – a riverbed or the water, the fi rst representing the strategic will of states and the second the contents, i.e. goods resulting from the balance of interests between businesses and consumers? Global trade routes such as the North–South Project can be viewed as social and economic phenomena largely shaped by the political will of the countries that promote these trade corridors based on their understanding of common interests.