Duterte to be honored by Moscow university

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte will receive an honorary doctorate from one of Russia’s top universities, officials told Arab News on Wednesday — the day Duterte began his five-day visit to the country.

The Moscow State Institute of International Relations University (MGIMO), which serves as a training ground for diplomats, is set to confer the honorary degree to Duterte on Saturday, when the Filipino president will also deliver a lecture at the university.

“After he gets the degree I hope I’m the first one to greet him as ‘Doctor Duterte,’” Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos Sorreta said, adding, “It’s a degree that’s given to heads of states and leaders.

“MGIMO is . . . the top university for training Russians in foreign affairs and international business transactions. So it’s something we are looking forward to,” he continued.

Duterte was originally scheduled to receive the doctorate from MGIMO in May 2017, during his first visit to Russia. However, after widespread criticism on social media due to Duterte’s bloody war on drugs — which has seen him accused of human rights violations — including Andrei Silantiev, a political scientist at MGIMO, calling the award a “shame” on Facebook, the ceremony never took place. Aside from his lecture at the university, Duterte is also scheduled to give a speech in Sochi City at the annual forum organized by the Valdai Discussion Club, a prominent Russian think tank.

“In this visit, it’s a little bit different because the president is not only meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin, but is also his guest at the Valdai forum, to give his views on the world order,” Sorreta said. “I think the Philippines is in a great position to speak about the Eastern perspective in terms of the world order, because … our traditions, our values, are heavily dependent on Western education but we are located in the East, our neighbors are all Eastern.”