Russia is marking the Day of a Diplomatic Worker. The date was set on October 31, 2002, by the Russian President Vladimir Putin and is celebrated annually on February 10.
The date was chosen upon the discovery of the earliest thus far mention of a Russian diplomatic department in 1549.
Russia is recognized the country with the most powerful diplomacy in the world, the rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Yevgeny Bazhanov, told a press conference devoted to the Day of a Diplomatic Worker. According to him, education in the Diplomatic Academy is popular among foreign diplomats and they are training about 60 diplomats from Egypt, Yemen, Burundi, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Turkey, Myanmar, Laos and many other countries.
"When I ask them why they make such a fuss about training in Moscow, in the Diplomatic Academy, they explain that we provide quality education, and most importantly, Russia is showing itself to be the country with the most powerful diplomacy," Bazhanov said.
"For example, Chinese diplomats often say that despite the fact that Russia's GDP is not the highest in the world, but it is the only power which is able to talk with the United States on all the subjects on an equal footing, without which it is impossible to solve any issue, because our diplomacy is so strong," the rector of the Diplomatic Academy stressed.
Diplomacy is a multi-faceted concept, it combines both science and art, the senior lecturer of the World Economics and World Politics Department at the Department of Oriental Studies of the HSE, diplomat Vladimir Zakharov, said, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza.
"If we talk about the scientific aspect, the diplomacy is a common set of rules, which deals with international relations and foreign policy of a state or states as a whole," he said.
Diplomacy is also art: according to Zakharov, it applies even to domestic relationships. "You can say: such a diplomatic young man in both a good and a bad sense, keeping in mind a desire to conceal the truth, or part of it, or a desire to achieve certain goals through tricks. A modern diplomacy, of course, includes all means and methods, risen by the foreign policy and international relations throughout its existence," the diplomat said.
"Therefore, I believe that is is both science and great art. Look at the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: he talks like he writes and writes like he talks. It is a rare quality of a person who knows the language very well, and not just one, and can do it both on paper and in the public field," the senior lecturer of the World Economics and World Politics Department at the Department of Oriental Studies of the HSE pointed out.
In addition, he said, the concept of diplomacy includes a number of other phenomena. "These are both the apparatus and the negotiation process. But most importantly, diplomacy involves a circle of people who maintain relations with other countries, with the world and are able to solve problems, first of all, in the interests of their country, their state, their people," Vladimir Zakharov concluded.
The chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs committee, Konstantin Kosachev, characterized diplomacy primarily as an art that is based on the highest professionalism. "Both scientific, cultural and sociological knowledge are needed here, but ultimately it is an art," he stressed.
The senator explained that it is art of true understanding of the national interests of the country and the ability to separate truly important things from less important. "Because diplomacy is always a desire to negotiate with a partner, offering him mutually beneficial terms of this agreement. It means that in such cases one always has to sacrifice something in order to win more important things," Kosachev noted.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, answering a question of Vestnik Kavkaza about the Day of a Diplomatic Worker, said that at least one day of complete peace in the world would be the best gift for Russian diplomats. "My wish would be like this, and if time was not limited, then I wish that peace would last forever," she said.
"Recently, we have seen a lot of times when the international community was on the verge. We see how easily wars without any prepositions start, how difficult to reach at least the starting position through the years, through many sacrifices, difficulties and obstacles, let alone achieve something better. We're all used to take peace for granted, but in fact we all have to understand that the state of peace should be protected," Maria Zakharova stressed.
"The state of peace is a man-made thing, it depends on politicians and leaders of the countries, and of course, on the people themselves, as well as the media. Therefore, awareness of hand-made state of peace is a very important process. Due to which, I wish all employees of the diplomatic service peace," the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
