Mintimer Shaimiev meets with President of Paris-Sorbonne University Barthélémy Jobert

Tatarstan’s State Counselor Mintimer Shaimiev met with President of Paris-Sorbonne University Jobert Barthélémy.

Jobert Barthélémy told about history of the oldest university in France.

The history of Sorbonne begins in 1215 when church colleges located on the left bank of Seine not far from Notre-Dame Cathedral were united under the name of Paris University. Centuries have passed and after the “May revolution” of 1968 the university was divided into several autonomous higher educational institutions, - Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris III – New Sorbonne, Paris IV - Paris-Sorbonne University and Paris V – René Descartes University.

All universities are connected by a single network of social institutions (Center of occupation guidance, inter-university center of physical culture and sport, etc.).

According to Jobert Barthélémy, universities are being united now. Total amount of students exceed 70 thousand people.

Mintimer Shaimiev told Jobert Barthélémy about third by age Russian higher educational institution– the Kazan Federal University and changes happened there.

President of Paris-Sorbonne University noted that at the beginning of XX century Nikolai Gumilev was the student of the university in 1907, Marina Tsvetaeva studied French literature at Sorbonne in 1909. Mintimer Shaimiev said that these outstanding figures are especially respected in Tatarstan. Marina Tsvetaeva was buried in Elabuga, Lev Gumilev, the son of Nikolai Gumilev is known as the ethnographer who studied history of the Tatars and devoted a lot of research works to this theme.

During the conversation potential areas for cooperation of Sorbonne University with Russian and Tatarstan higher educational institutions were discussed.

Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tatarstan in the French Republic Iskander Yusupov attended the meeting.