The opening ceremony of the seventh annual conference of the Russian Diplomatic Academy's student club 'UN International Model' (DAIMMUN 2018) was held in Moscow. "The UN has always been and will remain an organization for each and every one, because it is an open structure by its nature. It responds to aspirations of a particular person, of course, to the extent that he or she view themselves as a member of the global community. It doesn't even have to be global, just as citizens of their country," the Director of the UN Information Center in Russia Vladimir Kuznetsov said at the ceremony.
In his opinion, by its very existence, the UN promotes the formation of a new behavioral culture in international relations, a culture based on true multivercity, polylingualism, non-use of force, the primacy of law, priority of dialogue, respect for other cultures and civilizations. All this, in fact, are the elements of the soft power, used by the United Nations with varying effectiveness.
At the same time, Vladimir Kuznetsov noted that the UN is not an embodiment of some abstract ideals or a super-substance, which should be only admired and adored: "The UN is not perfect. In theory, all countries are committed to the principles of multilateralism and collective efforts. But, in fact, the situation is different. Unfortunately, quite often we witness states sliding into a behavioral model that emphasizes the principles of clear and blatant selfishness, unequivocal and cavalier disregard of the interests and opinions of others, no matter how reasonable and logical they look."
The Director of the UN Information Center in Russia recalled the approaching anniversary of the outstanding Russian diplomat, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin's death. A special conference dedicated to his memory will be held in the Diplomatic Academy in a week. "Vitaly Ivanovich's life is not only an example of moral service to the imperative of multilateralism in international relations, but also the highest example of the life feat of a highly professional diplomat and a true patriot of his fatherland, from which one can and should learn.
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, speaking at the opening ceremony, said that the very essence of international relations changes over time, changes in technologies, trade, and economies of different countries are gaining momentum. "International politics is always connected with financial interests, in one way or another. Of course, political ambitions of individual world powers, interest groups prevail at certain stages. But major part of these ambitions are connected with global economy, global trade. No one knows what will happen with technologies, the adaptation of mankind, adaptation of societies, individual countries, groups of people to the ultra-high speed of technology change in the modern world. And it's not just the technological landscape which is changing, but lifestyle and social dynamics. People are not used to such changes, people are not adapted to change the way of their life, and therefore, the image of their thoughts every 2-3 years. If at first technology changed once in 50 years, then it happened every 25 years, then - 20 years, now it's 2-3 years. And it's absolutely unpredictable how it will affect the life of society, and therefore the relations between different societies," Arkady Dvorkovich said.
However, according to him, there are cornerstones of the policy and actions that do not depend on these factors: "The main foundation, the main fundamental principle that underlies our policy is the observance of the norms of international law. Unfortunately, many of our partners do not think so. But we should look at the fundamental principles, assess the dynamics of developments in one sphere or another, assess the interests and reasons why parties to a conflict have these interests, find solutions and formulate new principles, new norms that will later become the foundation of international relations."
Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry Yevgeny Bazhanov, noted that the Doomsday Clock, which represents the likelihood of a nuclear catastrophe, is set at two minutes to midnight. The decision to move the 'clock' was made, in particular, because the North Korea's nuclear tests. "Last year there was a very acute situation on the Korean Peninsula. It was one of the main reasons. Now the situation has improved, a new government, more liberal, has come to power in South Korea. It is committed to normalizing relations with North Korea. And now the Koreans are compete as one team at the Olympics. But the situation in Korea and the world as a whole remains very tense. When the situation is tense, diplomats are needed. They could make the difference between starting a war or not, preventing conflicts or not. If there are conflicts, the task of resolving these conflicts as soon as possible depends on them," Bazhanov said.
At the same time, he expressed the opinion that Russian diplomacy is very strong: "The diplomat must be able to draw up documents, objectively assess the global situation, objectively report to the leadership and make some recommendations on the leadership actions in the modern world. We divide our diplomats into four levels. The first level - experts, those who know a lot. The second level - analysts, those who are able to analyze facts. The third level - artists who are able to draw a picture of the world as a whole. The fourth level - architects who form the future. A diplomat must be able to address different audiences. It is not enough to have eloquence here, one need to know the customs of the country where you speak, its habits and rules. You always need to respect the person with whom you are negotiating. This helps to solve the problems facing us."
