Russian Ambassador to France Alexei Meshkov on Thursday, February 10, in an interview with Izvestia, told what is the “fire resistance” of Russian diplomacy.
“It should be noted that our diplomatic school is fireproof. And we have been facing difficulties for centuries. My generation of diplomats came at the end of the Cold War. We also saw the sanctions and the struggle for the deployment of missiles in Europe, so this deja vu is unpleasant. But the main thing is not the difficulties that we have to overcome, but most importantly, when a great country stands behind you, when you defend the truth, all these difficulties are leveled,” the diplomat said.
At the same time, according to him, French diplomacy, like Russian diplomacy, has long traditions, in connection with which the interlocutor recalled that diplomatic relations have been actively developing between the two countries for more than 300 years since the time of Peter I.
As Meshkov emphasized, Russian diplomats, as a rule, are more comfortable working with their French colleagues than with representatives of the foreign affairs agencies of other countries.
“A special charm, if we talk about French diplomacy, is the use of elements of soft power. From French cheeses and wine to French art and culture. All this adds special elements to French diplomacy, ”he said.
Earlier, on February 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed his colleagues with congratulations on the occasion of the Diplomatic Worker’s Day. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry described the modern diplomatic service as the vanguard of efforts to promote and protect Russian interests in the international arena and create favorable external conditions that contribute to improving the quality and standard of living of Russian citizens.
The Day of the Diplomatic Worker, which is celebrated on February 10, was established by the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 31, 2002. The date of the professional holiday of Russian diplomats was not chosen by chance – on February 10, 1549, the first foreign policy department of Russia, the Posolsky Prikaz, was mentioned. Its leader was the clerk Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovatov (Viskovaty). Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible instructed him to deal with the “Polish cause”, but Viskovaty did not succeed in fulfilling the royal order and soon Andrei Vasilyev replaced him.
In 1718-1720, the Ambassadorial Order was transformed into the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, and in 1802, Emperor Alexander I formed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which became the forerunner of the modern Russian Foreign Ministry.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
