On Thursday, Mikhail Mishustin flew in for a two-day visit to Dushanbe. Photo: Dmitry Astakhov/POOL/TASS
On Thursday, Mikhail Mishustin flew in for a two-day visit to Dushanbe. The first item on the program is the laying of a wreath at the monument to Ismoili Somoni, the founder of the first Tajik state. Then Mishustin went to the Russian-Tajik secondary school named after Yuri Gagarin.
The school opened in Dushanbe a year ago, built with Russian money, like four other similar schools in Tajikistan.
– There is an American embassy nearby. Probably, the Americans think: “even in Tajikistan, the Russians are spying on us,” joked one of the escorts while talking to a journalist from Komsomolskaya Pravda.
All subjects at the Gagarin School are taught in Russian, and education is carried out according to Russian standards. The competition to enter the school is huge, so only children who speak Russian well are accepted into the first grade. Now the school has 960 students: 945 citizens of Tajikistan (of which 61 students have dual citizenship) and 15 citizens of Russia. As in all Russian schools, students in grades 1-4 receive free hot meals here. The menu includes borscht, pancakes, dumplings.
– In this case, the menu is not repeated for two weeks! he said to Mishustin.
The school also offers real cosmic food in tubes; a separate buffet is organized for this. The cost of such a dinner is the same as that of ordinary dishes.
– The rocket will not return to earth before lunch. Take space spoons, – Mishustin quoted an episode from the Soviet film “Gentlemen of Fortune” with a laugh.
The prime minister also investigated the office of Russian language and literature.
– Hello boy! – he addressed the students of the prime minister.
– Hello! greeted the students.
– How do you say “hello” in Tajik?
– Solomon! – answered the children.
– Well, then fat! Mishustin repeated after them.
Then the prime minister decided to conduct a survey on what children want to be when they grow up. Three said they hoped to become a doctor, one a military engineer, several more people admitted they see themselves in business. In response, the Prime Minister recalled that Russia increased the government quota for the admission of Tajik citizens to Russian universities for the next academic year.
Mishustin wished the children good luck and went on to inspect the school. The winners of the Russian Geography Olympiad were waiting for the Prime Minister in the library. Mishustin immediately decided to test his knowledge level.
– What is the northernmost city in Russia? asked the prime minister.
– Vladivostok! the children responded uncertainly.
– The northernmost?! – Mishustin was amazed by this discovery. – Well, and the one in the south?
– Kazan! Krasnodar! – There was an answer.
– Okay, I see that the teacher is already worried, – Mishustin interrupted the failed test.
However, to justify the gaps in knowledge, the children named the rivers and federal districts of Russia Mishustin. And at the same time the prime minister was asked how the knowledge gained at school was useful to him in life.
– All knowledge will be useful! – assured the guys the prime minister. – You don’t know how fate will get rid of you, but the more knowledge you have, the more options you can make.
In memory of his visit, Mishustin presented the school library with a collection of Pushkin’s works, a portrait of Gagarin, and promised to organize an excursion for the best students of the school to the Mission Control Center in Moscow.
From school, Mishustin went to a meeting of the Ninth Conference on Interregional Cooperation “Business and Investment Partnership between Russia and Tajikistan.”
– We will strengthen relationships with our friends. With everyone who is ready to work together. New qualitative opportunities are opening up before us,” said the Prime Minister.
Mishustin invited Tajikistan to cooperate more actively with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying that Russia aims to launch joint ventures. By the way, last year Russia and Tajikistan reached a trade turnover of 1.5 billion dollars, a record for the last 20 years.
As a result of the conference, the delegations of Russia and Tajikistan signed more than 20 cooperation agreements in the scientific, technical, industrial, educational and other fields.
From businessmen, Mishustin went on to an audience with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. On Friday, the Prime Minister will hold talks with his Tajik counterpart, Kokhir Rasulzoda. After the talks, the delegations of the two countries will sign intergovernmental agreements.
