Russia is not on the list of the top 30 countries using soft power, which was created by the British PR-agency Portland which assessed countries according to several criteria which influence their attractiveness and importance in the world. The first place is taken by the UK, which is followed by Germany, the US, France and Canada. China takes last place.
Moscow understands that the direction is underdeveloped, and now it plans to involve diasporas living in the country actively in foreign policy to promote Russian interests in the world.
The president of the foundation Unity of the Russian and Georgian Peoples, Vladimir Khomeriki, is sure that diasporas from abroad should have influence in every way in order, firstly, to raise the image of Russia, secondly, to establish closer contacts between the states, and it is just the same as the public diplomacy of the Russian states where they have stayed and become citizens of Russia.
“Tragically, there is no attention paid to this issue, no one draws or attracts heads of national diasporas, heads with considerable authority both at home, to be engaged in people's public diplomacy, so they will be able to assist Russia and, indeed, that kind of ‘soft’ power that we are talking about. We're talking about soft power, but do not use it. During the last meeting with Minister [for Foreign Affairs Sergei] Lavrov we talked about it, I personally raised the issue, because there is now no structure that can organize or coordinate once those public organizations then unite them, so they can represent Russia at the international level,” Khomeriki says.
According to him, “there are organizations with useful initiatives, uncoordinated, trying on different wards to push the issue publicly, speak the truth, to show that Russia is not what it is painted there in the West, it is represented by somebody. But nobody hears these voices. This work must continue, I think, the Foreign Ministry will have in the near future to create a social structure and a board that combine to coordinate efforts and to help these NGOs that are engaged.”
The president of the foundation Unity of the Russian and Georgian Peoples says that the bulk of the budget is replenished after all that is sent from diasporas in Russia: “All the republics, whether Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, are mainly fed by the fact that their representatives are here, so we, the diaspora, send them help so they can somehow live and exist there. This is a huge potential, and it should be used in an organized way to bring together the positions of our countries.”
Khomeriki used to be the vice-president in Tashkent: “We created there actually a big club of the presidents, the leaders of our national communities, and introduced the practice of the President of Uzbekistan to take the diaspora leaders of the country, where he was going, on all his international travels. You know, it really gave a big push, momentum and a great influence to those. I personally went with the president of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan, and Armenia, and Georgia and other states. Therefore, we should all use it, if we wish that we were not isolated. Leaders of diasporas are famous people, and a lot of people are listening to them. Therefore, we should pay the most serious attention, to assist them, to actively involve executives, famous, noble people of various diasporas in certain international processes in the framework of soft power diplomacy,” Khomeriki thinks.
