The Second International Forum of graduates of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has kicked off in the Russian capital of Moscow marking the 70th anniversary of the institute.

The Forum brings together more than 1,000 MGIMO graduates from 50 countries, including outstanding politicians, public figures, businessmen and academics. The Forum will mainly focus on the basic issues of global development, the evolution of societies and economies.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu and a delegation of MGIMO graduates from Azerbaijan are among the participants of the Forum.

The Forum delegates are expected to inaugurate a monument to Alexander Gorchakov, a Russian statesman, one of the most influential and respected diplomats of the 19th century. From 1863 to 1883 he was the chancellor of the Russian Empire.

Participants of the Forum will also open "The world through the eyes of MGIMO graduates" art exhibition and attend a plenary session themed "Russia and the modern world: the development trajectory".

The First International Forum of MGIMO graduates was organized in Baku last April on the initiative of the Azerbaijan Alumni Association of MGIMO. The 2013 Forum was held under the motto "Together into the Future" and was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva, representatives of international organizations, statesmen and businessmen from Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Cuba, Republic of Korea, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam and other countries.