Honorary Doctor of the University is to become the President of Germany

13:16, November 15, 2016

Frank-Walter Steinmeier can leave the foreign ministry for presidency

The ruling coalition of Germany agreed on the nomination of Frank-Walter Steinmeier as a candidate for the presidential post. Frank-Walter Steinmeier is a German politician and the current Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In 2010, Frank-Walter Steinmeier became an honorary doctor of Ural Federal University. Professor Steinmeier frequently visits the university to deliver lectures for students and participate in important events. This summer Professor Steinmeier came to Ekaterinburg for the 6th time. On August 15, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergei Lavrov participated in the official opening of the Second Russian-German Summer School "Ways of development of the energy sector. Modern Challenges".

 ‘For me, the title of the Honorary Doctor of Ural Federal University is a great reward. It is very important to come here and discuss various issues with the students’, said Professor Steinmeier at the ceremony, ‘during these years Ekaterinburg has become an important place, which gives me personal idea about Russia and Russian-German relations.’ 

The first Russian-German Summer School was opened at Technical University of Berlin a year ago by Frank-Walter Steinmeier and UrFU Rector Victor Koksharov.

‘Despite difficult political situation, Russian and German cooperation in the field of education and science is developing rapidly, and that gives hope to overcome the emerging political issues’, said Victor Koksharov.

The third Summer School will take place in Berlin in August 2017.  It is expected that Professor Steinmeier will act in the new position at the opening ceremony.

The next president of Germany is due to be elected on February 12 in a secret ballot by the Federal Assembly. The agreement to nominate Frank-Walter Steinmeier as a candidate for the presidential post was reached by the CDU/CSU parties and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).