The next round of the Russian-Tunisian dialogue was held in Tunis on November 1-4, 2007. The conference was organized jointly by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Center for the Study and Research of Economic and Social Problems (CERES) of the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Technology on the basis of the Protocol on Scientific Cooperation signed by the heads of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and CERES in May 2004. Ben Ali and was considered by the Tunisian leadership and the media as a scientific component of the celebrations. On behalf of Russia, the conference was attended by scientists from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow and Kazan State Universities, the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and employees of the Russian Embassy. The Tunisian side was represented by colleagues from the University of Tunis, the Higher Linguistic Institute, the Institute for the Study of the National Movement, as well as students from the capital and provincial universities of the country.

Five scientific sessions were held on the agreed topic "Russia and Tunisia in the XXI century". Graduates of Soviet (Russian) universities and students studying the Russian language and culture in Tunis took a particularly active part in the discussions on the reports. The debates were of a business nature and were conducted correctly in an atmosphere of friendly understanding.

At the opening of the plenary session, the forum participants were welcomed by CERES Director General Hassan Al-Nabi and Head of the Russian-Arab Dialogue Research Center A. Z. Yegorin (IV RAS). Then the report of the Russian Ambassador to Tunisia Alexander Polyakov "Russia and Tunisia: a look at the history, current state and future of bilateral relations" was heard.

According to A.V. Polyakov, Tunisia is one of the few countries in the region with which bilateral ties were maintained in the past and did not weaken after the collapse of the USSR. The volume of Russian trade (about 200 million by 2007) is comparable to such traditional partners as Syria or Libya. Russia continues to provide technical assistance to Tunisia in the construction of dams in the north of the country and reservoirs in its drought-stricken central regions. Russian doctors, teachers of technical universities and vocational schools work in Tunisia. Our warships regularly make friendly visits to Tunisian harbors, cultural ties are actively maintained, and tourism is developing. Both Moscow and Tunis, the Ambassador noted, are optimistic about the future of Russian-Tunisian relations.

The first session, which was led by A. Z. Egorin, was devoted to the assessment of Tunisian-Russian relations. N. A. Nazarov, Director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Tunis, in his report drew special attention to the rapid development at the beginning of the XXI century. scientific relations. This was made possible by the signing of a Protocol on scientific cooperation between the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the leading research centers of the country - the Institute of the History of the Tunisian National Movement, the Institute for the Study of the Arab Maghreb, and especially with the Center for the Study of Economic and Social Problems of Tunisia and the In the twenty-first century, contacts have significantly intensified, as exemplified by the holding of the November 2007 International Forum in Tunis. Russian writers and artists are frequent visitors to the country, and the doors of the Russian Center for Science and Culture are wide open for Tunisians, which is visited daily by hundreds of people interested in the achievements of the new Russia.

Mohsen al-Tunisi (Higher Linguist. In his report "The Russian-Arab cultural dialogue as an example of bilateral equal cooperation", he emphasized the importance of cultural components of relations both at the official level and between those circles of intellectuals who form the public opinion of their countries and at the same time contribute to the mutual rapprochement of two great civilizations - Russian and Arab.

Topic of the second session, which was led by Munir Zakris (Higher Linguist. in-t), - history of Russia and Tunisia.

Abdel Balqahla (Tunis University) presented the report " The struggle of the leaders of the Naqshbandi Tariqa for the governance of Dagestan society in the XIX century . (judicial proceedings, clergy, administration)". In his opinion, the regional movements of the Caucasus in the past played the role of associates, not inspirers of the struggle against Russia. The reason for this was three factors: mountains, th-

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human qualities, personal influence of Sufi figures on the public consciousness of people. They have their own writers, their own leaders. The speaker noted Ghazi Muhammad as a thinker and Gamzat Bey as the first leader of the mountaineers, who was distinguished by rare cruelty. Imams in the minds of mountaineers, Abdel Balkahla believes, stood out for their charisma, and they focused on cooperation or non-cooperation with the Russian authorities, depending on the mood of the groups or clans that supported them.

Najmud-din Kazdagli (Higher Linguist. In his report "Russia and the reform movement in Tunisia", he compared the actions of the reformers of the two countries, based on historical factors and the specifics of the situation. Russia had its own great culture and its own vision of the future, and therefore rejected Western recipes for democracy. Tunisia was divided between those who applauded the West and those who fought against Western colonialism and defended national interests. For this reason, it is still difficult for Tunisia to carry out its reforms, the rapporteur concluded.

A. Z. Yegorin presented the report "Russian pages of Tunisian history in the XX century". He stressed that during this period, our country supported the Arabs in the fight against imperialism, colonialism, expansionism, racial discrimination against the mandatory system imposed on the Arabs in the period between the two world wars. We supported the Arab side in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Russian military participated in combat operations in North Africa in 1916-1920, 1941-1943, and 1967-1970.

The report also covers the Russian pages of Tunisian history, which highlight the warm-heartedness and responsiveness of the Arabs towards the emigrants of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917, during the World Wars and after their end. This is the famous epic with the Russian squadron (33 ships), which became permanently moored at Bizerte in 1920-1925, then a French naval base, and the sad fate of 20 thousand people. Soviet prisoners of war taken by the Nazis to North Africa for the construction of infrastructure facilities intended for the troops of Field Marshal E. Rommel (1942-1943). Thousands of them died or fled to the oases of the Sahara. But, unfortunately, the speaker admitted, " I have not found a single Russian burial site... It was only in Tunis that I was moved by the reverent attention paid to our departed compatriots. Their graves in Christian cemeteries in Bizerte and the capital of the country are in full order, and in the Orthodox churches of the Resurrection of Christ (Tunis) and St. Alexander Nevsky (Bizerte) memorial plaques are installed in memory of Russians who fought in the Tunisian Sahara. In 2005 In honor of the 60th anniversary of the victory over fascism, we held a conference in Tunis and visited battle sites that almost covered the desert sands, but the Sahara will never cover our memory."

The speaker drew particular attention to the proposal of Z. A. Ben Ali to create a public association for interethnic and interreligious dialogue based on the principles of solidarity, which was supported by the Russian public.

M. F. Vidyasova (ISAA at Moscow State University) in her report "Tunisia in the history and politics of Russia" drew attention to the factors that distinguish Tunisia from other Arab countries. This is the construction of a civilized society and its "tolerant" Islam. The policy in this direction was carried out by the Dusturov party under the leadership of Kh. Bourguiba (until 1987) and continues for 20 years Z. A. Ben Ali and his ruling party. The processes that took place in Tunisia have always aroused and are still arousing Moscow's interest, and mutually acceptable relations have been built with Tunisia in politics, ideology, and culture.

D. V. Mikulsky's report "Hulasat taarih Tunis (the main milestones of Tunisian history) by Husni Abdel Wahhab: traditional foundations of modern historical writing" aroused special interest of the audience.

The discussion at the third session, entitled "Attitude to the alien" (head - M. F. Vidyasova), was opened by Naji Jallul, (G. Manuba University). He made a report "Captain Kotsov's Journey to Tunis in 1770", in which he spoke about the positive impressions of the Russian traveler about Tunisia.

His colleague Khaled Zuwaib (Higher Linguist. in-t) called his report "Georgy Gorchakov: Russian talent in the service of Tunisia". Gorchakov, an almost forgotten Russian composer, came from the Moldavian nobility, participated in the First World War, lived in France after 1917, and during the Second World War ended up in Tunis, where he wrote 32 sonatas, 4 symphonies, taught music, but hardly communicated with the Russian diaspora. He loved Russia, but did not like the Bolshevik regime, and refused to get a Soviet passport. Before his death, he burned his archives. He took the Arabic name Abdel Malik.

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Yu. A. Potemkin (Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in the report " Social Policy of the Republic of Tunisia. Based on statistical data and analysis of the Tunisian reality (GDP growth of 5% per year over the past 20 years, 4/5 of the population - the middle class, etc.), Vzglyad iz Moskvy concluded that Tunisia can serve as an example for Russia in solving social and economic problems.

The report "Tunis Ben Ali through the eyes of Russian scientists"by A. B. Podtserob, former Ambassador of the Russian Federation to this country (2000 - 2006), aroused considerable interest. He listed almost all the works published in Russia about Tunisia. These are, in particular, the works of F. Dorokhin (1674), P. A. Chikhachev (1880), A.V. Eliseev (1884), Russian emigrants V. von Berg (1931), N. N. Knorring (1935), A. A. Shirinskaya (1999) and others. Monographs by M. V. Vidyasova (2005, 2007), B. L. Kolokolov (1998), and V. O. Bobrovnikov (1998) are mentioned among the works on modern history. The speaker particularly noted Russian studies on Z. A. Ben Ali, who came to power in Tunisia as a result of the "jasmine revolution" on November 7, 1987. Among them are monographs by G. I. Guchetl (1999), L. M. Sadovskaya (2000), A. Chernyak (2003), A. A. Borisov (1990) and others. In Russia, A. B. Podtserob emphasized, a collection of speeches by Z. A. Ben Ali "Great Changes" (2003) was published. In general, the speaker concluded, Russian scientists positively assess the 20-year stay in power of Z. A. Ben Ali, and in all the works there is a clearly expressed feeling of sympathy for Tunisia.

The fourth session was chaired by Sahnun Said (Senior Linguist. in-t), was devoted to experience and exchanges in the field of culture, science and tourism.

G. G. Zainullin (Kazan State University) in his report "Institute of Oriental Studies of KSU: scientific and educational ties with Tunisia" positively assessed cooperation with Tunisian colleagues. D. K. Nurgaliyev (Vice-rector of Kazan State University) in his report "Development of relations between KSU and Arab scientific centers" informed that Kazan University supports the development of relations between KSU and Arab scientific centers. scientific relations with 60 organizations in 25 countries, including Tunisia. In 2009, the Institute of Oriental Studies of KSU plans to hold the next round of the "Russian-Tunisian dialogue", to which the speaker invited forum participants.

G. V. Mironova (MSU Center for International Education) in her report "Teaching foreign students in Russia: continuing traditions" spoke about the history of teaching foreign students in the USSR and then in Russia. The beginning was laid in 1960. Over half a century, about half a million people from 150 countries of the world graduated from Soviet (Russian) universities, including 100,000 from Arab states, of which 1,600 were Tunisians. Since 1997, graduates have joined associations established in Algeria (1992), Egypt (2001), Syria (2002), Tunisia (1999), and others. Since 1997, 5 Pan-Arab alumni meetings have been held. The sixth one is planned for 2008 in Damascus.

Writer K. A. Sologubovsky, author of four books about Tunisia, made a report "Development of relations between Russia and Tunisia in the field of tourism". According to him, in 2007 160 thousand Russians visited Tunisia. They were treated and rested, made cruises in the Sahara Desert. According to N. A. Sologubovsky, the promotion of tourism in Tunisia is one of the main concerns of the state. Here it is safe, high-quality service, warm sea and attentive, friendly people.

Two reports of this meeting were devoted to research topics.

Wannas al-Hafiyan (Higher Linguist. in-t) analyzed Ibn Khaldun's translations in Russian Arabic studies. According to the speaker, this famous Arab philosopher wrote his main works while living in Tunis. Accused of godlessness, he then went to Egypt, but even there his philosophy was unclaimed. According to Vannas al-Hafiyan, the Russian approach to Ibn Khaldun is not comparable to the European one, although his teachings were introduced later in Russia. Europe took from Ibn Khaldun's philosophy what justified and encouraged its aggressive actions in the East. Russia is also impressed by the peacemaking of Ibn Khaldun, who advocated peace between religious concessions and ethnic groups.

Fasih Baderkhan (IB RAS) in the report " Enlightened Islam: Russian and Tunisian experience " tried to identify the common features of enlightened Islam, which are characteristic and acceptable for the Islamic community, and the peculiarities of its perception in Russia and Tunisia.

The fifth meeting (head-F. Baderkhan) was devoted to research in the fields of languages, art and social sciences.

Zainab al-Samandi (Center for the Study of Social and Economic Problems of Tunisia) in his report "Exchange in the field of Social sciences between Russia and Tunisia" noted that the potential of social exchanges between the two countries is far from exhausted, there is a need for it, but, unfortunately, the opportunities, methods, time, conditions necessary for it are poorly studied. for its development.

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Munir Zikri (Higher Linguist. in his report "The development of sociological thought in Tunisia through Russian scientific research", he stressed that the Arabs, lagging behind in their development from the current level, are trying to at least understand the new trends of the XX-XXI centuries. Tunisia as a part of the Arab world, according to M. Zikri, is covered by women's emancipation and criticism of Arab nationalism, but it is still dominated by Bourguibism as a French version of Tunisian identity. Although the new Tunisia needs to preserve and develop its national characteristics.

Sahnun Said (Higher Linguist. In his report "Sign language in the colloquial behavior of Tunisians and Russians", he drew attention to paralinguistics in determining the lexical meanings of the two peoples. If we take the sign unit of communication as a basis, then With. Said found common gestures characteristic of Tunisian and Russian, and highlighted the features of national enrichment of the lexicon, which the speaker showed on numerous examples.

Mohamed Darbal (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Tunis) dedicated his report to the artist A. Rubtsov, highly appreciating his role in the development of the Tunisian School of Fine Arts. An ethnic Russian, A. Rubtsov lived in France, Spain, and Tunisia. A portrait painter who differed in his assessment of Tunisia from the opinions of orientalists in Italy, France, and Turkey, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. XX century In Russia, A. Rubtsov has long been forgotten, but in Tunisia we still honor him.

In her report "The Women's Issue in Russia and Tunisia: General and specific", N. G. Romanova (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) named social protection of women's rights and active inclusion of women in the social and political life of her country as one of the achievements of Z. A. Ben Ali as President. According to the speaker, Tunisian legislation was the first in the Arab world to promote the principle of equality of women and men before the State and the law. The Tunisian Code of Personal Status, adopted in 1956, and the National Union of Tunisian Women, established in the same year, played a huge role in this. In Tunisia, women's rights to personal integrity and human dignity are guaranteed by law, which is unique to the rest of the Arab world.

The forum closed in a solemn atmosphere. Representatives of the parties expressed satisfaction with the discussion and expressed their wish to continue scientific exchanges. It was proposed to hold the next round of the Russian-Tunisian dialogue in Kazan in 2009, which was caused by the special attention of the forum participants to Tatarstan. For their part, the Tunisian colleagues announced the decision of their Government to hold the "Days of Culture of Tatarstan" in Tunis in April 2008.

The round table meeting was held at the Russian Center for Science and Culture. The event was widely and positively covered by the Tunisian media.

The Russian-Tunisian dialogue will give a new impetus to the development of scientific and cultural ties between Russia and Tunisia and will have a positive impact on the political and economic rapprochement between the two countries.

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