Diplomat Day in Russia

Russia is marking the Diplomat Day on Thursday. The date was set on
October 31, 2002, by Russian President Vladimir Putin and is
celebrated annually on February 10, RIA Novosti reports.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated diplomats and veterans
of the Foreign Ministry on their professional day and urged them to
look about new and unusual decisions.

The president noted that Russia is rich with diplomatic traditions. He
underlined that the Foreign Ministry plays an important role in
realizing the priority course of the country - modernization of
economy and improvement of the standards of life.

Medvedev said that achieving the goal needs improvement of mutually
beneficial cooperation with foreign states, effective instruments in
fighting global threats and challenges, promotion of foreign economic
projects and good management of resources of foreign partners.

Spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich said
in an interview with RIA Novosti that the ministry will have a meeting
with the minister and officials of other state structures making
speeches.

Flowers will be laid at the memorial plate with the names of diplomats
who died on the front-line in the Great Patriotic War and memorial
plates of diplomats who died when fulfilling duties and during
Stalin's repressions.

Head of the Russian Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Ministry Victor
Laptev said that the day highlights the role of diplomats and
diplomatic service. He said that more people are willing to become
diplomats. Absence of military and ideological opposition gives way
for diplomatic means to solve issues. The better the diplomatic
services operate the more efficiently the country may achieve global
goals, Laptev said.

He said that current staff are high-skilled professionals any
diplomatic service may be proud of.