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RUDN University to regain name of Patrice Lumumba, says PM

The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia was founded in 1960

MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) has once again been bestowed with the name of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who became a symbol of the struggle of African peoples for independence, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced on Thursday, responding to a proposal by Leonid Slutsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in the State Duma.

"I want to give you some good news, Leonid Eduardovich [Slutsky]; I know that literally a few hours ago, an order by the Minister of Education and Science was signed to return the name of Patrice Lumumba to the university," the prime minister said. In his opinion, the decision was a just one. "It has been done," he stated.

The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia was founded in 1960. It bore the name of Patrice Lumumba from 1961 to 1992. In 1992 it was renamed the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia by decision of the Russian government. The university’s primary mission was to train highly qualified national specialists for Asian, African and Latin American countries, but Soviet students also attended the university. According to the university’s website, it now tops the list of Russian universities in terms of the percentage of foreign students in the overall student body. The university awards degrees in several dozen academic disciplines.

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