On February 10, Russia celebrates the Day of the Diplomatic Worker. On this occasion, ORIENT brings to the attention of readers an article by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Turkmenistan Ivan VOLYNKIN:

The Russian diplomatic service is 475 years old

The Day of the Diplomatic worker was established by decree of the President of Russia V.V. Putin in 2002. This date was not chosen by chance and is associated with the first documentary mention of the Embassy Order, which from 1549 on a permanent basis began to perform the functions of the foreign policy department of the Moscow Kingdom.

Throughout the history of Russia, the state body responsible for international relations has been renamed several times – the Embassy Order, the Board, the People's Commissariat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, and finally, since 1991, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, despite all the transformations, the qualities inherent in Russian diplomats remained unchanged, namely love for the Motherland, the ability to defend its interests and find compromises in any situation. Special attention has always been paid to the professional training of staff members of the diplomatic department, providing them with high-quality education, and developing a diverse outlook. As the Great Russian poet, playwright and diplomat A.S.Griboyedov accurately noted, "the more knowledge you have, the better you can serve your Fatherland."

Currently, the Ministry's system includes the Central Office in Moscow, territorial bodies – representative offices in the subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as foreign institutions: Embassies and Consulates General, Permanent Missions to international organizations, of which there are more than two hundred and forty worldwide.

Thousands of Russian diplomats work daily for the benefit of the Motherland in the best traditions laid down by their predecessors. The outstanding Russian diplomat A.M. Gorchakov emphasized that "there are no such divergent interests that cannot be reconciled by zealously and persistently working in the spirit of justice and moderation." This approach is still relevant for Russian diplomacy today.

A diplomat is above all a patriot of his country. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, more than 150 employees of the NKVD of the USSR volunteered for the front, many of them did not return home. Every February 10, as on other memorable dates, in Moscow, in the high-rise building of the Ministry on Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square, a ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers at three memorial plaques is held, where the names of our comrades who became victims of repression, did not return from the Great Patriotic War, tragically died in the line of duty are carved in gold on marble. Being in Ashgabat, we also honor their memory.

There is a misconception that the diplomatic service is solely concerned with conducting negotiations in the time remaining after attending social events and elegant receptions. In fact, this is a difficult and often dangerous path. Our colleagues work in hot spots, often in conditions that pose a risk to life and health. Last year, thanks in part to their efforts, more than a thousand people were evacuated from the war-torn Sudan and the Gaza Strip. "We do not abandon our own and we have not abandoned them," reads the banner on the main page of the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Among the main priorities of Russia's foreign policy is the development of friendly and mutually beneficial relations with the states of Central Asia, and the maintenance of lasting peace and stability in the region. Our country is certainly interested in strengthening strategic cooperation with Turkmenistan. The special nature of the partnership between our countries is fixed by the 2017 treaty and reaffirmed by the Declaration on Deepening the Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan of 2022. The main inspirers and architects of such fruitful cooperation at this stage are Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov.

Over more than thirty-year history of diplomatic relations between Russia and Turkmenistan, strong ties have been formed based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and good neighborliness. Russia highly appreciates Turkmenistan's neutral status, its efforts aimed at achieving global peace and sustainable development, as well as the enormous positive contribution it makes to ensuring stability in the region. Mutual interest is confirmed by the representative composition of Russian delegations visiting friendly Turkmenistan. Thus, in January 2023, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin and Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vladimir Volodin visited Ashgabat, which, of course, expanded the horizons of bilateral multifaceted cooperation.

Turkmenistan is an important trading partner of Russia. The Intergovernmental Russian-Turkmen Commission for Economic Cooperation is successfully working. The last meeting of its co–chairs, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation A.L.Overchuk and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.O.Meredov, took place last December in Moscow. The next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, as well as the second Russian-Turkmen business forum, is planned to be held in the first half of 2024.

Interregional cooperation also has significant potential for the development of Russian-Turkmen business cooperation. An additional impetus was given by the visits to Ashgabat in September 2023 of the governors of St. Petersburg and the Astrakhan region, as well as the head of the Republic of Tatarstan. An agreement on cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Chelyabinsk Region is expected to be signed.

Great attention is paid by both sides to contacts in the humanitarian sphere. Cultural and sports exchanges are expanding. Today, more than 30 thousand students from Turkmenistan study at Russian universities. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin supported the initiatives to open a Russian-Turkmen University in Ashgabat and to build a new building of the Pushkin State Drama Theater.

I am confident that our multifaceted cooperation will continue successfully. This year, the Embassy meets on February 10 in an expanded team. This increase in staff reflects the importance that Russia attaches to the strategic partnership with Turkmenistan. The development and deepening of bilateral cooperation is our long-term focus.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate our colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan on their upcoming professional holiday – the Day of Diplomatic Workers of Turkmenistan, which is celebrated here on February 18, and wish them good health, prosperity and new successes in their responsible activities for the benefit of the fraternal Turkmen people.

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