The delegation of the Swiss Embassy in Russia headed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mr. Pierre Helg visited Irkutsk State University. 

During his visit, Mr. Pierre Helg met Rector Professor Alexander Arguchintsev. The meeting was also attended by the Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in Irkutsk, Ms. Lyudmila Kurbatova and Vice rector for Research and International Relations, Professor Alexander Schmidt.

The delegation also met with students and faculty.

Mr. Pierre Helg:

- My colleagues and I are pleased to be in Irkutsk. Thanks a lot for the invitation. I am very amused by your city, especially by old houses. And I am glad that my visit to Irkutsk begins with one of the oldest universities of Siberia – with your university. It is a great honor to speak to you today.

In his speech, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland touched upon the history of diplomatic relations with Russia, cultural ties, similarities and differences between two countries.

Reference

Cooperation between ISU and Switzerland ran since 1998 within the Baikal neutrino project. ISU together with the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Department of Surface Waters / SURF (EAWAG) conducts interdisciplinary research of biogeochemical and hydrophysical processes in Lake Baikal. The joint research resulted in several dozen reports at major international conferences and several papers published in leading scientific journals.

In 2012, ISU signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Geneva. In 2013 colleagues from two partner universities initiated the project of international summer schools on the Baikal Biological Station of the ISU Research Institute of Biology in the village of Bolshie Koty. Within the student mobility project, ISU annually hosts students majoring in history, philology, law and linguistics.