The building of HSE University-St Petersburg on Kantemirovskaya Street hosted a festival devoted to the culture of Arab countries. The event featured presentations of traditions, national dances, and dishes by students from Iraq, Algeria, Chad, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.

The International Partners Week 2025 became one of the most important international events of the year for the Institute for Asian and African Studies at HSE University-St Petersburg. After five days of the forum, experts in Asian and African studies from HSE University-St Petersburg held negotiations with representatives of 18 global universities from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, signed important agreements and shaped the directions for international cooperation in the future. Professor Evgeny Zelenev, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, shares the results of IPW-2025.

The St Petersburg School of Arts and Humanities presented the Centre for Russian Language and Culture and held negotiations with universities in Japan, Egypt, Turkey, and Brazil. The School of Art and Design agreed to create joint installations with the Turkish university, international exchanges and fashion shows with international partners. Deans and staff of the schools summed up the results of the International Partners' Week. 

As part of IPW-2025, representatives of the School of Economics and Management (SEM) and the School of Computer Science, Physics and Technology (SCPT) of HSE University–St Petersburg discussed joint educational projects and research initiatives with their partners. International colleagues showed great interest in the expertise of HSE University–St Petersburg and a willingness to develop long-term partnerships.

At the end of May, HSE University-St Petersburg became a platform for meetings of researchers and professors from the leading universities worldwide. The participants of the International Partners' Week were accompanied by volunteers selected among students of HSE University-St Petersburg. Young people helped the guests in an unfamiliar city and introduced them to Russian culture and the university. Read on to find out more about volunteers' work, language practice, tasks and personal discoveries.

The large-scale international forum gathered representatives from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America in St Petersburg. Apart from the intense business programme with expert discussions, signing of agreements and creating international collaborations, the guests of HSE University-St Petersburg got to know the cultural heritage of the Northern capital—saw the city from Neva, visited the Hermitage, Tsarskoye Selo and other significant sights.