On 7 April 2019, the Lebanese-Russian Cultural Centre was opened in Zahle (Lebanon). Aleksandr Zasypkin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Lebanese Republic, attended the event. The ceremony was arranged by the National Arab-Russian Association headed by Bashir Samaha. This organisation is the partner of Penza State University. Among other participants of the event were Sergei Ivanchin, Head of PSU Department of Student Affairs, Adel Makbol, Chairman of the International Students Association of the Penza Region, and PSU students including Anastasiya Chernyshova, Angelina Kushtina, Polina Kozlachkova, and Chinkova Kseniya, who are pursuing internship on the Lebanese TV channel.

During the meeting, Sergei Ivanchin and Adel Makbol presented the Russian Ambassador the research paper written in liaison with Ye.K. Reva and Z.A. Tskhovrebova and called “Lebanon in the Russian media and academic space”. Aleksandr Zasypkin commended the work of PSU researchers and wished them further success. He also noted that it is worth fostering the Arab-Russian relations primarily centered on Lebanon. PSU representatives informed the Ambassador that Penza State University trains 1800 foreign nationals, 300 of whom are from the Arab countries, including 50 from Lebanon. The number of international students from Lebanon is annually increasing.

As part of the internship, PSU students covered the event. The future journalists lucked out to get acquainted with the mayors of municipalities and deputies of the Beqaa Region. The event was hosted by Grace Rayess as the supervisor of the internship.