Participation of Evgenii Morozov, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for History and Cultural Anthropology, in the International academic conference ‘Russia between East and West: Civilizational Confrontation or Dialogue?’

On October 16-17, 2025, the International academic conference "Russia between East and West: Civilizational Confrontation or Dialogue?", organized by the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was held in Moscow.

The conference was attended by 110 researchers from universities and academic institutions across Russia (Moscow, Bryansk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kazan, Kolomna, Kursk, Moscow, Oryol, Samara, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Seversk, Syktyvkar, Tula, Tyumen, Rostov-on-Don, Ryazan, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk, Chelyabinsk, Cherepovets, and Yaroslavl). International scholars represented Belarus, Iran, Italy, Myanmar, and Turkey.

The history of relations between Western countries and Russia spans centuries. Over the centuries, multifaceted ties have been established between states in politics, diplomacy, economics, and culture. A dialogue between civilizations has developed, pursuing the goal of achieving peace and harmony among peoples. However, this dialogue has included not only cooperation and partnership, but also confrontation and conflict, often leading to bloody wars. The current geopolitical situation has clearly demonstrated the escalating confrontation between the West and Russia.

The conference discussed the following issues: international relations and diplomacy of the West, East, and Russia in the 18th-21st centuries; Russia's interaction with countries of the Global South; intercivilizational confrontation and conflict; sociocultural, economic, and diplomatic dialogue as a means of achieving global stability, etc.

At the session "Russia between West and East: Confrontation and Conflicts," a report entitled "The French and Russians on the White Nile. The Expeditions of Colonel Leonid Artamonov and Christian de Bonchamps: Cooperation and Rivalry (1898)" by Evgenii Morozov, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for History and Cultural Anthropology of the Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.

In his report, based on unpublished archival materials, Evgenii Morozov discussed little-known aspects of the Fashoda Crisis of 1898 and the involvement of Russia and Ethiopia. St. Petersburg actively supported Addis Ababa's territorial aspirations in the White Nile region. Colonel Leonid Artamonov accompanied the Ethiopian and French detachments and personally planted the flags of these nations at the new border. Despite some mistrust from the French expedition members, Artamonov overcame it and honorably fulfilled his mission, serving both the cause of the Russo-French alliance and the strengthening of Russia's relations with Ethiopia.