Abstract. A speech by the President of IMEMO is devoted to the most important milestones of the political and scientific path of Y.M. Primakov. The main attention is paid to the period when Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov served as prime minister, when in a short time Russia was moved away from the edge of the abyss. It was emphasized that even in this challenging time.Y.M. Primakov besides solving the most difficult tasks to overcome the crisis outlined a strategy for the long term. He deemed it necessary to ensure economic growth, to restructure the economy and to make the transition to a new technological platform via the flexible combination of market competition and responsible state regulation. Primakov considered the development of democracy as an important condition for economic growth. In the field of international politics Primakov anticipated the future in the development of polycentrism (multipolarity), innovative explosion, the new role of the Russia—India—China triangle. In his speech, A. Dynkin stressed that IMEMO preserves the standards and traditions of the Primakov era. IMEMO is among the 30 largest think tanks research centers in the world and organizes Primakov readings, one of the largest platforms for international dialogue.