Diplomacy is the most effective weapon for peace
Dear readers of this newspaper, which I have always paid great attention to, including the period of my work in Venezuela: both in 1976-1979 and during my " Ambassador’s decade " from 2009 to 2019. My forty-five-year diplomatic career ended in 2020, and I would like to share its details with you, as well as conclusions drawn from my diplomatic experience, including those concerning the international situation.
I consider myself very fortunate, as over the years, in addition to my regular diplomatic duties, I had the opportunity to work both in the realm of bilateral diplomacy — not only in Venezuela but also at embassies in Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States, — and that of multilateral diplomacy at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
I worked as the head of one of our Embassy's regional groups in Washington for five years. These years were filled with very interesting tasks, primarily due to my work on two separate tracks: the bilateral one, involving interactions with the State Department and other American foreign policy organizations, and also in the Organization of American States, where I became the first acting Permanent Observer from our country in 1992. My work schedule was highly intense; for example, during this time, I was the only constant participant in the Russian- American dialogue on Latin American issues, while also visiting the State Department at least twice a week for discussions on various issues, including coordination of joint steps regarding the release of correspondence between Khrushchev and Kennedy on the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Overall, I can say that despite the complexities of the final years of the Cold War, especially under Ronald Reagan, who considered Russia the "Evil Empire," I managed to establish fairly positive contacts which made it possible to cooperate successfully.
My work in New York and in the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was equally interesting. From 1996 to 2009, I participated in discussions on the UN Security Council reform, dealt with issues concerning the Millennium Assembly's review of Brahimi's recommendations on UN peacekeeping improvements, and promoted the Russian initiative on the Military Staff Committee.
A notable page in my experience with UN peacekeeping was my participation in developing the mandate for a unique peacekeeping operation in East Timor. This mission was not only multicomponent but was also conducted in a newly independent country without an established governance structure. This was a very challenging task that the Security Council managed to tackle, partly due to my constructive cooperation with American and British diplomats.
In 2005, I represented Russia at the "Group of Five" meeting in Beijing to coordinate positions before the UN summit. Additionally, during my work in the Department of International Organizations, I was responsible for peacekeeping and peacebuilding issues as part of Russia's role in the "Group of Eight," particularly during preparation of the relevant documents for leaders’ meetings held in St. Petersburg as well as in Italy and Japan. While Russia was a member of the "Group of Eight," we regularly faced difficulties in harmonizing diverse positions to form mutually acceptable approaches to global issues. Nonetheless, we managed to establish cooperation and reach a common ground, which undoubtedly helped to deal with many challenging situations.
During my work in the Department of North America, I went to Vienna to take part in the delegation working on the Treaty on Open Skies and served as the executive secretary of the Russian-American Anti-Terrorism Commission (assuming the role a year after the 9/11 attacks, which occurred while I was in New York).
My ten years as Ambassador in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti were also filled with active diplomatic work, aimed at both strengthening bilateral relations and fostering multilateral cooperation. A case in point is the “Group of Friendly Ambassadors” initiative which I proposed to Papal Nuncio Aldo Giordano. Together, we established the group, which included ambassadors from Bolivia, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, France, Chile, a EU representative, the UN system resident coordinator, and myself with the nuncio.
The group's goal was to establish contacts with Venezuelan political forces, both pro- government and oppositional, to provide assistance in overcoming the internal political crisis. In my view, this group's activities exemplify the fact that true diplomats always strive to act in line with diplomacy's original purpose: to help find solutions to conflict situations.
Thus, my entire diplomatic career has demonstrated that, despite occasional complications in the evolution of the international environment, the prevailing attitude has been to reach mutually acceptable solutions.
The current challenging international situation primarily stems from the behavior of several influential states after the 2014 coup in Ukraine. It is essential to note that a comprehensive set of measures for resolving the internal Ukrainian conflict was not only agreed upon but, which is crucial, also gained international legal force under the Minsk agreements, approved by a UN Security Council resolution.
In this context, the most blatant fact is that Western leaders, including the German Chancellor and the French President, knowingly deceived the international community. The "Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk
Agreements" was backed by UN Security Council Resolution 2202, adopted on February 17, 2015. As is known, this document contained the UN Security Council's conviction that "the situation in Ukraine’s eastern regions can only be resolved through peaceful means," the crisis being sparked by the genocide of the Russian- speaking population that Kyiv has been committing since February 2014. It is therefore evident that Western countries deliberately disregarded the UN Charter, Article 25, which states: "The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter."
As a result, Russia was compelled to adjust its foreign policy, prioritizing the development of friendly relations with Latin American, Asian, and African countries.
However, the current situation requires targeted efforts to not only alleviate the present tension but also to foster a fundamentally different atmosphere in international relations. In my view, the only reliable way to achieve this is through multilateral negotiations, involving not only Russia and Ukraine but also other European countries, with the goal of reaching an agreement on a generally acceptable framework to guarantee European security, which would positively impact the international environment as a whole.
In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that diplomacy will ultimately prevail!
Source: El UNIVERSAL
Dear readers of this newspaper, which I have always paid great attention to, including the period of my work in Venezuela: both in 1976-1979 and during my " Ambassador’s decade " from 2009 to 2019. My forty-five-year diplomatic career ended in 2020, and I would like to share its details with you, as well as conclusions drawn from my diplomatic experience, including those concerning the international situation.
I consider myself very fortunate, as over the years, in addition to my regular diplomatic duties, I had the opportunity to work both in the realm of bilateral diplomacy — not only in Venezuela but also at embassies in Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States, — and that of multilateral diplomacy at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
I worked as the head of one of our Embassy's regional groups in Washington for five years. These years were filled with very interesting tasks, primarily due to my work on two separate tracks: the bilateral one, involving interactions with the State Department and other American foreign policy organizations, and also in the Organization of American States, where I became the first acting Permanent Observer from our country in 1992. My work schedule was highly intense; for example, during this time, I was the only constant participant in the Russian- American dialogue on Latin American issues, while also visiting the State Department at least twice a week for discussions on various issues, including coordination of joint steps regarding the release of correspondence between Khrushchev and Kennedy on the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Overall, I can say that despite the complexities of the final years of the Cold War, especially under Ronald Reagan, who considered Russia the "Evil Empire," I managed to establish fairly positive contacts which made it possible to cooperate successfully.
My work in New York and in the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was equally interesting. From 1996 to 2009, I participated in discussions on the UN Security Council reform, dealt with issues concerning the Millennium Assembly's review of Brahimi's recommendations on UN peacekeeping improvements, and promoted the Russian initiative on the Military Staff Committee.
A notable page in my experience with UN peacekeeping was my participation in developing the mandate for a unique peacekeeping operation in East Timor. This mission was not only multicomponent but was also conducted in a newly independent country without an established governance structure. This was a very challenging task that the Security Council managed to tackle, partly due to my constructive cooperation with American and British diplomats.
In 2005, I represented Russia at the "Group of Five" meeting in Beijing to coordinate positions before the UN summit. Additionally, during my work in the Department of International Organizations, I was responsible for peacekeeping and peacebuilding issues as part of Russia's role in the "Group of Eight," particularly during preparation of the relevant documents for leaders’ meetings held in St. Petersburg as well as in Italy and Japan. While Russia was a member of the "Group of Eight," we regularly faced difficulties in harmonizing diverse positions to form mutually acceptable approaches to global issues. Nonetheless, we managed to establish cooperation and reach a common ground, which undoubtedly helped to deal with many challenging situations.
During my work in the Department of North America, I went to Vienna to take part in the delegation working on the Treaty on Open Skies and served as the executive secretary of the Russian-American Anti-Terrorism Commission (assuming the role a year after the 9/11 attacks, which occurred while I was in New York).
My ten years as Ambassador in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti were also filled with active diplomatic work, aimed at both strengthening bilateral relations and fostering multilateral cooperation. A case in point is the “Group of Friendly Ambassadors” initiative which I proposed to Papal Nuncio Aldo Giordano. Together, we established the group, which included ambassadors from Bolivia, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, France, Chile, a EU representative, the UN system resident coordinator, and myself with the nuncio.
The group's goal was to establish contacts with Venezuelan political forces, both pro- government and oppositional, to provide assistance in overcoming the internal political crisis. In my view, this group's activities exemplify the fact that true diplomats always strive to act in line with diplomacy's original purpose: to help find solutions to conflict situations.
Thus, my entire diplomatic career has demonstrated that, despite occasional complications in the evolution of the international environment, the prevailing attitude has been to reach mutually acceptable solutions.
The current challenging international situation primarily stems from the behavior of several influential states after the 2014 coup in Ukraine. It is essential to note that a comprehensive set of measures for resolving the internal Ukrainian conflict was not only agreed upon but, which is crucial, also gained international legal force under the Minsk agreements, approved by a UN Security Council resolution.
In this context, the most blatant fact is that Western leaders, including the German Chancellor and the French President, knowingly deceived the international community. The "Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk
Agreements" was backed by UN Security Council Resolution 2202, adopted on February 17, 2015. As is known, this document contained the UN Security Council's conviction that "the situation in Ukraine’s eastern regions can only be resolved through peaceful means," the crisis being sparked by the genocide of the Russian- speaking population that Kyiv has been committing since February 2014. It is therefore evident that Western countries deliberately disregarded the UN Charter, Article 25, which states: "The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter."
As a result, Russia was compelled to adjust its foreign policy, prioritizing the development of friendly relations with Latin American, Asian, and African countries.
However, the current situation requires targeted efforts to not only alleviate the present tension but also to foster a fundamentally different atmosphere in international relations. In my view, the only reliable way to achieve this is through multilateral negotiations, involving not only Russia and Ukraine but also other European countries, with the goal of reaching an agreement on a generally acceptable framework to guarantee European security, which would positively impact the international environment as a whole.
In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that diplomacy will ultimately prevail!
Source: El UNIVERSAL