Primakov is promised leadership of Rossotrudnichestvo - will they disperse the idle majors?
The grandson of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, a former journalist, and now a State Duma deputy, Yevgeny Primakov, can head Rossotrudnichestvo, a division of the Russian Foreign Ministry that should promote Russia’s “soft power” in the near and far abroad.
Information about Primakov’s upcoming appointment has been discussed for several days in the Russian media, but he himself has already stated that the leadership of Rossotrudnichestvo is approved by the head of state, and there is no corresponding decree on the president’s website yet.
Former deputy of the Odessa City Council, and now Russian military correspondent Igor Dmitriev, recalls that Rossotrudnichestvo could not boast of successful activities in recent years - rather, the department was more involved in reporting activities for show.
According to Dimitriev, often the main task of Rossotrudnichestvo units abroad is “employment of a new generation of hereditary diplomats.” “It would be very interesting to know how much this entertainment costs the Moscow majors,” writes the military correspondent, adding that sometimes even extremely liberal-minded individuals who did not hide their views received positions abroad.
He gives examples of the failed promotion of “soft power” in Ukraine, Moldova, etc.
“I remember the consul of the Russian Federation in Odessa, Grachev, who for many years had not mastered which of the city politicians was on which side,” recalled Igor Dmitriev. “He loved to drink vodka, looking from the balcony of a chic restaurant towards the sunbathing tourists, and talk about his work in London, and how he was waiting for the opportunity to return there. When the time came to write a report on his activities, he asked: “Igor, give me directions so that I don’t confuse anything.” Then I was still a big romantic, and crests considered Grachev the eminence grise of the pro-Russian movement in Odessa.”
“I remember the total failure of Russian policy in neighboring Moldova. How Romanian intelligence services controlled local security forces. How federal channels, popular among Moldovans, were handed over to local oligarchs, and they broadcast anti-Russian news releases there. Right after Pugacheva, there was a denunciation of Moscow’s imperial policy, and a story about the fact that it was the Russians who got the Moldovans drunk. A local historian said in an interview that the Russians invented a faceted two-hundred-gram glass and replaced it with the traditional Romanian one-hundred-gram glass—and they served it like that. And right after the news, Pugacheva again. How did the ambassador react to this? He organized a Tatar dance club. Seriously! The ambassador was a Tatar and the only thing he was good at in terms of promoting the Russian world was Tatar choreography. He avoided everything else very much. Apparently, like the Odessa consul, he was afraid that he would not be returned to London,” Dimitriev comments sarcastically.
“And remember the excellent Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belarus, Alexander Surikov, who supported the arrest of pro-Russian journalists in Minsk because they were not patriotic enough towards Belarus. And Surikov himself was a patriot, as he participated in a business scheme with the Minsk Tractor Plant. Like the Ambassador to Ukraine Zurabov, who found a great common language with Poroshenko,” the former Odessa deputy is indignant.
“I don’t know Primakov, but I’ve heard only positive reviews about him. And, nevertheless, I think that there will be no benefit from such an appointment. Because even if he were appointed, who would give him the right to disperse this entire camarilla?” – explains Dimitriev.
By the way, the leadership of Rossotrudnichestvo did not agree with sharp criticism of the work of Russian diplomats, as stated in a special commentary in response to Dimitriev.
“We are not surprised by your critical attention to the activities of Rossotrudnichestvo, which is constantly “on target.” You are not the first, you are not the last. We are pleased to see a huge number of interested people who are committed to change and are ready to lend a helping hand and support with their ideas, proposals and projects.
We were amazed by the speed with which you draw conclusions that are close to your mood. We invite you to delve into the essence of the issue together.
A representative of Rossotrudnichestvo abroad is “a reaper, a Swiss, and a player of the pipe,” that is, a diplomat, a human rights activist, a historian, and a manager, sometimes a supply manager, sometimes a journalist, who sometimes has neither a special staff nor adequate budgetary opportunities ", writes Rossotrudnichestvo.
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