"In conditions when Russia is becoming an integral part of international cooperation, a new generation is formed that will form world policy," Mr. Lavrov said Friday at the opening of the Russian Association of International Studies conference on the foreign political process in Russia.
"Russia's integration into the world intellectual community is as necessary as its integration into the economic community," he said.
According to him, Russia is interested in having the voice of Russian scientists heard in the world.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry attaches a great importance to contacts with domestic diplomatic science in order to look for answers to the difficult questions of our times," Mr. Lavrov said.
The Russian Association of International Studies was founded on December 22, 1999. Its president is the rector of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Anatoly Torkunov.
The goal of the association is to preserve and develop the best traditions of studying international relations. Presently, the association has 291 members and 25 regional branches.
A contest for the best foreign politics and international relations study is being held in the context of the conference.
