During the meeting, the Argentine delegation got acquainted with rare items from the collections of the RGS. Photo: Anna Yurgenson
On February 25, a meeting was held at the Moscow Headquarters of the RGS between the head of the Argentine Mission to Russia, Enrique Ignacio Ferrer Vieyra, and representatives of the RGS, headed by Sergei Korlykhanov, First Deputy Executive Director of the RGS. The parties discussed the possibilities of opening an expedition and tourism center in Argentina and joint research projects.
The first RGS expedition and tourism center abroad was opened in 2025 in Salvador, Brazil. The next one, in Norway the same year. The key mission of the centers is to ensure continuous expeditionary research and tourism education. For example, the opening of the RGS center in Brazil launched the «Brotherhood» sailing expedition around the world. In the near future, after a year of difficult sea crossings, the yachtsmen will return to Salvador. In 322 days, the travelers covered more than 30,000 nautical miles across four oceans and 24 time zones. The international rotating crew — a total of 19 participants from Russia, Brazil, and Argentina — completed the entire route of the Northern Sea Route on a yacht for the first time in several years.
«Every year, the RGS conducts a significant number of research, educational, and humanitarian events,» said Sergei Korlykhanov. «In 2025 alone, events under the auspices of the RGS — from the Geographical Dictation to more than a hundred exhibitions — covered 130 countries. We have big plans for the future. There are many projects ahead, and we are open to partnership. Developing the experience of opening RGS centers abroad, last year we launched a new format. The Society’s expedition and tourism centers are created for high-quality preparation and implementation of complex expeditions, and reverse popular science missions. The RGS is currently implementing a number of projects in the Arctic and Antarctica. Expeditions are one of the most effective formats of cooperation.»
The projects of the RGS in the area of the North and South Poles were presented during the meeting. They show the prospect of a «field» international scientific dialogue. Representatives of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the RGS spoke about the first results of the expedition to the King George Islands (Waterloo), Carlini Station in Argentina, and a number of other locations.
«We will make every effort to ensure that the opening of the RGS center in Argentina takes place,» said Enrique Ignacio Ferrer Vieyra. «This is a promising area for collaboration. The establishment of the RGS expedition and tourism center in Argentina will open up opportunities for the development of joint research projects and popular science projects. Argentina is a vast territory, a variety of climatic zones, and a unique Patagonia. We want people from Russia to learn about our nature and culture.»
During the meeting, the Argentine delegation got acquainted with rare copies from the funds of the RGS: Nikolai Kryukov’s publication «Agriculture in Argentina», «Atlas of Captain Kruzenshtern’s Journey Around the World», a travel handbook about Novorossiya and Crimea edited by Veniamin Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to work out areas for the implementation of joint projects.