Rossotrudnichestvo in India: why does the agency need a contract with a person involved in a fraud case?

For almost a year now, Evgeny Primakov has been the head of Rossotrudnichestvo. Occupying a leadership position, he promised that he would make the department an effective tool for promoting Russian culture and the “soft power” of the state abroad.

The official expressed his intentions to carry out internal restructuring and “tough purges,” stop the possibility of corruption in the agency and completely change the course of the organization, abandoning “balalaika diplomacy.”

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After almost 12 months of Primakov’s work, the situation has not changed for the better, writes portal Nakanune.RU On the contrary, new problems were added to the old ones, but no high-profile foreign policy victories were added to the organization’s account. We only have to admit that now Rossotrudnichestvo is losing ground even in regions that are obviously favorable for cooperation.

In this context, the situation in India is indicative. Moscow and New Delhi have historically had strong ties. During the Soviet period, many young Indians received education at Russian universities, knew the language, and became acquainted with the literary heritage of the country. Good ties are consistently maintained between the states.

Rossotrudnichestvo in these conditions has ample opportunities for activities in almost all sociocultural areas. However, even here, Yevgeny Primakov’s department managed to worsen the situation.

The prestigious diplomatic district of New Delhi now houses the Russian Center for Science and Culture (RCSC), supervised by a federal agency. A noteworthy circumstance is that the company’s office is located in the same building RusEducation - exclusive partner of Rossotrudnichestvo.

This organization is private, focused not so much on promoting the interests of the state, but on making a profit.

At the same time, for some reason, the department ignores the fact that his partner has been involved in a scandalous case of fraud and corruption in the enrollment of Indian students at Tver State Medical University for two years now.

The point is that mediation RusEducation turned out to be fraught with large overpayments for education for citizens of the Asian country. This problem has already caused widespread public outcry and led to protests foreign students at the Indian Embassy in the Russian Federation and the building of the Investigative Committee.

Over the course of a year of work, Evgeny Primakov did not pay attention to the necessary verification of the “exclusive partner” of Rossotrudnichestvo, which is why Moscow is now discredited in front of New Delhi and the Indian population as a whole. At the same time, messages about the termination of the contract between RCSC and RusEducation still not the case.

The agency, in principle, neglects its direct responsibilities to support compatriots living abroad.

The coronavirus epidemic has been a difficult test for the whole world, which has especially affected densely populated India. Over the past year, the country has repeatedly experienced a complete lockdown, gradual lifting of restrictions and the introduction of new ones. The situation was aggravated by natural disasters and other humanitarian problems.

Under these conditions, the Russian diaspora in India was left to the mercy of fate - on the Rossotrudnichestvo website there is no information about efforts to help compatriots.

But in this difficult year, a festival was organized for Indians dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky and celebrated the 60th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight into space. Although these dates are indeed important in promoting Russian culture, it is unlikely that this kind of event can be called a powerful manifestation of the “soft power” of the state.

The policy of Rossotrudnichestvo may lead to an increase in the political and economic distance between the Russian Federation and India, which can hardly be called the protection of national interests.