On 10 February, Russian diplomats mark their professional day Diplomats’ Day, which was established by a Presidential Decree in 2002.The date itself is closely associated with the history of Russia’s first foreign affairs agency the Ambassadorial Department (or “Posolsky Prikaz” in Russian) established by Czar Ivan the Terrible in 1549 and which was first mentioned in official chronicles.
I.M.Viskovatiy, a Duma dyak, was appointed as a head of the Posolsky Prikaz.
In 1720, the Posolsky Prikaz was gradually transformed into the Collegium of Foreign affairs, and in 1802, the modern form of foreign policy management the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was created in Russia along with other ministries.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs was established.However, in 1946 the USSR Foreign Service returned to its previous name the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Ministry of External Affairs of the Russian Federation became its legal successor.
Of course, the Russian diplomatic traditions date back to more distant times, its history older than not only the Posolsky Prikaz, but also even the Russian state itself, which is believed to be founded in 862.
For instance, the “Agreement on Peace and Love” between Ancient Russia and Byzantine Empire was signed in 860, with the Russian embassy opened to Constantinople in 838 and to the capital of the Frankish state Ingelheim in 839.
Over the 472 years of its existence, the Foreign Ministry has been headed by many outstanding diplomats.Thus, during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Afanasy Lavrentievich Ordin-Nashchokin contributed a lot to strengthen international relations of Russia and paved the way for future reforms of Peter the Great, who called the Ambassadorial Department “the eye of all great Russia.” Karl Vasilyevich Nesselrode is record-holder for serving as head of the foreign policy department.
For forty years, Nesselrode as Foreign Minister guided Russian policy (1816-1856).Instead, Pavel Nikolaevich Milyukov held his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government of Russia for only two months.
In 1856-1882, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire was headed by Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, whose name is related to the greatest achievements in the international arena, including undoing the results of the Crimean War that were unfavorable for Russia. The highest ministerial award of the Russian Foreign office is named in his honor.
Andrei Andreevich Gromyko was the public face of Soviet foreign policy over nearly three decades (1956-1982). Being Ambassador to the United States, he participated actively in the negotiations on creation of the UN, gaining a reputation as a tough negotiator.
The biggest contribution of Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov (1996-1998) is that he presented a doctrine of multipolarity in the country, which remains a key feature of Russian diplomacy. Since 2004, the Russian Foreign Ministry is headed by Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov.
Majestic high-rise building at Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square in Moscow has become a visual symbol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.It took five years to construct it (1948-1953).
A metal spire at the main building was hastily added to the tower’s roof as approved design did not include it and it was presumably ordered by Stalin.
Modern Russian diplomacy is not only an extensive network of 146 embassies and 88 consulates general.Its tasks and priorities are formed taking into account the centuries-old historical experience and traditions of world communication.
Russia continues to play an important role in the international arena, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council bears a special responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
Nowadays, when the world community is facing new challenges and threats, Russian diplomacy is implementing modern multilateral approaches.The need for equal cooperation between states is becoming more and more obvious.
The modern Russian diplomatic service is actively working on the “platforms” of a number of international organizations and regional associations, such as the UN, OSCE, SCO, BRICS, and CIS.
We are keeping up with the time by developing public, cultural, and scientific diplomacy.Russian embassies across the world are assisting to promote the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine that is effective and safe.
When the global sanitary and epidemiological situation urged to close international borders, with the support of our diplomats, over 312 thousand compatriots were able to return to Russia in six months.
In total, 556 return flights from 38 countries were made during this time.Here we also organize export flights in coordination with our colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
In accordance with the Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, priority areas of Russian foreign policy include the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Member States, with which Russia is actively developing mutually beneficial political, economic and humanitarian contacts.
Our ties with these states are based on centuries of coexistence and tradition of unique mutual understanding.It also applies to Turkmenistan.Despite the fact that diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and independent Turkmenistan were established in 1992, their history dates back to the 18th century.
Now they have reached the level of strategic partnership and are developing dynamically.We have similar with Turkmenistan approaches regarding to international issues, same desire to solve them in the spirit of peace and trust, which is the motto of 2021 both in Turkmenistan and across the world.
Therefore, we sincerely congratulate the Turkmen diplomats on their professional holiday, which will be celebrated in a few days, on February 18.
In one of his speeches, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov was asked how to achieve success in diplomacy.His answer was: “If you ask yourself how to achieve success in diplomacy, how to become a real professional, the advice will probably be not exhaustive, it is important to follow it with full dedication it means to constantly learn, improve yourself, not stop there, keep up with the time.”