? A symposium titled “Ehime and Orenburg, Russia: One Coin Connects Past and Future” was held in Media Center Hall on?April 11, 2017, co-held by Ehime University, Ehime Prefectural Government, and Botchan Theater.
The delegation from Orenburg Region, Russia, consisting of 11 people, visited Ehime Prefecture to strengthen relationship between the two regions. The aim of this symposium is to review the history and discuss?the future scope of relations between Ehime and Orenburg regions. Audiences who attended the symposium were students, faculty and administrative staff, and local citizens.
? In the beginning, Dr. Masaki Yasukawa, Vice President of Ehime University, and Ms. Evgeniia Shevchenko, Minister of Culture and Foreign Relations of Orenburg Region, delivered keynote speeches. Ms. Shevchenko stressed the importance of human exchanges between the two regions, especially in the fields of education, culture and sports for the future.
? ?The titles?of each Presentation were “An Introduction to Orenburg State University(OSU)”, “Scientific and Education potential of the Orenburg Region”, “A History of Exchange between Matsuyama and Russia”, “History of Cooperation between Orenburg Region and Ehime Prefecture”, “Pushkin and Orenburg”, and “Beyond Borders: The Musical ‘The Oath on the Coin’”. Among them, Dr. Svetlana Pankova, Vice President of OSU, introduced academic and educational activities of OSU where 27,000 students and 1,100 international students study. Dr. Elena Lutsai, Head of the Science and Universities Coordination Activities Department of Orenburg Region, introduced the potentials of science and higher education of Orenburg, which have advantages of beef cattle breeding and medical science. Dr. Liudmila Dokashenko, Director of Japan Information Center of OSU, mentioned the cooperation between Orenburg and Ehime was triggered by?a musical performance of “The Oath on the Coin” in Orenburg in 2012. She suggested an establishment of Russian Culture Center in Ehime like her center in Orenburg in order to promote exchange activities between the two regions. Mr. Yoichi Ochi, CEO of Botchan Theater, explained the musical which described love romance between a nurse and a Russian soldier in Matsuyama during the Russo‐Japanese War(1904-5).
? ?After the symposium the Orenburg delegation members visited Ehime University Museum to see a special exhibition which depicts?the exchange history?between Ehime and Orenburg. Professor Osahiko Matsumoto, Director of the museum, explained the aim and content of the exhibition to?the delegation members.?
Ehime University concluded a “Memorandum of Understanding for Academic Exchange” with OSU in 2016. Vice President Pankova and Director Dokashenko were among the members of the Orenburg delegation to Ehime. Ehime University and OSU?will promote?mutual student exchange and cultural exchange in the future.
Group Photo of the Symposium Speakers
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- Minister E. Shevchenko’s keynote speech
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- OSU Vice President S. Pankova speaks in the meeting with EU President Y. Ohashi
Q & A session