HE Dr Alexey Pavlovsky, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Commonwealth of Australia gave the keynote address at a CAIS event entitled 'Russia in Asia and the World: A Symposium dedicated to Yevgeny Primakov'. The Ambassador presented a paper on ‘Yevgeny Primakov and the concept of multi-polarity in international relations'.

The symposium was convened by CAIS Senior Lecturer, Dr Kirill Nourzhanov, a specialist in Russian and Central Asian Affairs. Professor James Piscatori opened the proceedings welcoming HE Dr Pavlovsky and congratulating Dr Nourzhanov on putting together a fascinating and important program.

Yevgeny Primakov (1929 – 2015) was an outstanding Russian scholar and statesman. Having started his career as a journalist and expert on the Middle East, he served as foreign minister and prime minister of the Russian Federation in the 1990s during some of the most dramatic and turbulent years in the country’s history. In the 21st century, Primakov headed the Russian Chamber of Commerce, led a diplomatic effort to resolve the Iraq crisis, and continued to influence the policy debate in Russia.

Primakov’s major contribution to the theory of international relations was the concept of a multipolar world. Alongside Primakov’s ideas on close cooperation with India and China, and pragmatic cooperation with the former Soviet republics, this concept continues to inform the foreign policy decision-making in Russia today.

As a politician and public intellectual, Primakov had a worldwide reputation for integrity, realism and deep scholarly knowledge. His 90th anniversary provides an excellent opportunity to take stock of his legacy and reflect on the current trends and developments in Russian foreign policy in Asia and beyond.

ABC Journalist Alexandra Beech attended the conference and posted Russia's new Australian ambassador flags Asia-Pacific plans