Two universities subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia — the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and the Diplomatic Academy (DA) — will unite as part of a program to modernize the educational process. The accession is planned to be completed by January 31, 2026, the MGIMO press service said.
The order to join the Diplomatic Academy to MGIMO was signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on September 9. The corresponding instruction was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The President believes that the reorganization will contribute to "strengthening practice-oriented education and research both in the field of traditional diplomacy, regional studies, international security, and in promising areas related to digital technologies in world processes, modern neuro-linguistics, and the climate agenda."
As a result of the merger process, a new unit will appear at MGIMO — the MGIMO Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. It will be engaged in retraining and advanced training of specialists in the interests of Russian authorities in the international sphere.
The order says that after the reorganization, MGIMO will retain its name. The functions and powers of the founder of MGIMO will remain with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"To consider MGIMO the legal successor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, bearing in mind that all rights and obligations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia are transferred to MGIMO," the text of the document says.
Recall that Lavrov spoke about the upcoming process of university unification back in March 2025. According to him, the reorganization is necessary so that universities "do not duplicate each other, but that each has its own distinct functionality, where it has competitive, obvious advantages."
MGIMO was founded in 1944. The University implements more than 100 programs in 18 areas, including international relations, political science, law, economics, journalism, etc. In 2010, MGIMO was included in The Guinness Book of Records as the university with the teaching of the largest number of state foreign languages — 53 foreign languages. Anatoly Torkunov has been the rector of the university for the last 30 years.
The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia is considered the oldest diplomatic academy in the world, it was established in 1934. At the moment, more than 20 foreign languages are taught at the academy and representatives of about 30 countries study. Sergey Shitkov has been Acting Rector of the Diplomatic Academy since October 2024.