Russian world needs consolidation
Without the tools of "soft power" in modern society, an effective foreign policy is impossible. The head of the Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, compatriots living abroad and international humanitarian cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), the special representative of the Russian president for relations with the CIS member-states Konstantin Kosachev said this in an interview with the Rosbalt correspondent.- Rossotrudnichestvo is four years old. What results have been achieved during this time?
- Rossotrudnichestvo can be called an instrument of civilized lobbying for Russian interests abroad. This understanding is fully consistent with the concept of the agency as an artist acting on the order of the state and in its interests. Not much time has passed since the creation of the Agency, but it is enough to show certain results. The preparatory stage can be considered complete, we have defined the goals and priorities of our work, and have now entered the stage of strategic planning. You can say running in is over - it's time to turn on the afterburner.
Today the Agency is represented in 76 countries 59 by Russian centers of science and culture, 8 by their branches and 17 representatives in the diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation.
The agency purposefully increases its efforts to preserve the Russian spiritual and cultural heritage abroad. Our overseas representative offices initiated and organized the opening of memorial signs and monuments of the Russian stories and culture. The memorial sites include the burial of compatriots in Christian cemeteries in Macedonia, Morocco, Tunisia, graves in Greece, Italy, and Turkey.
One of the new formats has been the holding of the “cross years” of national culture, in which hundreds of events are being implemented. Since that time, they were held in China, Bulgaria, India, France, Italy, Spain, Germany.
But, of course, our main tasks are the promotion of integration processes in the CIS space, the support of compatriots living abroad, the promotion of the Russian language and culture, the development of humanitarian and scientific cooperation.
The agency together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation became the founder of the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad, including in the area of ensuring the protection of their rights to their native language.
The selection and sending to study in Russia is being carried out at the expense of the federal budget of foreign citizens and compatriots living abroad, following which last year the 661 candidate was enrolled to study at Russian universities. Work is continuing on the transfer to the operational management of our 14 agency general education schools in the 5 CIS countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Ukraine.
In addition, Rossotrudnichestvo performs the federal program "Russian Language", under which for the second year in a row on June 6 around the world, Pushkin's Day is held. In particular, this year sets of books of Russian classics were sent to more than 1000 of Russian-language schools in Ukraine.
- Recently, they have increasingly begun to talk about the need to use the factor of "soft power" in Russian foreign policy. Rossotrudnichestvo, perhaps, is one of the main tools here. In your opinion, how effectively is it used and in general, how effectively is the "soft power" factor used by Russia?
- "Soft power" is becoming an integral part of the realization of the national interests of any state abroad. This has long been understood by our counterparts in the West and now our neighbors in the East understand. In this regard, I note that the Chinese, for example, generally consider "soft" and "hard" forces not as a sum, but as a work: if one of the elements tends to zero, then, in general, the entire external force of a state turns to zero . This Chinese interpretation of "soft power" seems to me quite interesting.
Russia, in contrast to the Soviet Union, in the area of "soft power" does not have parity with our main geopolitical rivals. If by “hard power” we are more or less equal, then by “soft power”, alas, no. Unfortunately, this situation cannot be corrected by a set of some measures in the short-term mode: tensed, and once - everything turned out. No, this is a systematic, long-term work for years and decades. Here we almost did not pay attention to it in previous decades and are now seriously behind. In order to correct this imbalance, it will take a very long time. But you can not do this. It must be done today, here and now. We have already lost too much time. This is a question not only of investments, but just how much attention from the state.
Therefore, such work cannot be the responsibility of a single agency. This is a huge, complex task, and most of this task is not connected with the information and propaganda coverage of certain processes taking place in the country, but in reality with what is happening in the country. And not all depends on Rossotrudnichestvo in this area. But we could take the coordinating role, if you want, the role of the gunner on the target.
- One of the main components of the successful application of "soft power" is a favorable image of the country. In a recent interview, you mentioned that correcting the "bias" between the reputation of our state and reality is one of the main goals of Rossotrudnichestvo, because, in your opinion, our country's image is radically worse than what it really is. And what exactly do you think is necessary to do in this direction?
- In my opinion, “soft power” is not events that we organize, but the environment that arises or does not arise as a result of our events. We strive to unite and consolidate the Russian world, which, however, is understood and shaped not only and not so much by ethnic principle. That is, it includes not only Russians and those close to the Russian people in Russia and abroad, our compatriots, although this is already hundreds of millions and this is, of course, the core, the core of the Russian world. But it also includes everyone who speaks Russian, is interested in Russia, is associated with it personally or professionally.
Now the work is going on separately. Much is being done in the line of support of compatriots by the Russian Foreign Ministry, something by the Russian World Foundation, there are coordinating councils of compatriots. Say, the Ministry of Education is responsible for working with graduates of Soviet / Russian universities. There is a category of people who study Russian, for example, in various language courses. They also exist as if by themselves. Thus, work in the sphere of the Russian world in its broad sense goes in parallel, and people who are interested in Russia do not, in fact, see each other, do not unite.
Now, for the most part, we are recognized as sympathizing with Russia "in a whisper and in the ear." Therefore, the most important thing, in my opinion, is to build work in such a way that people who are interested in Russia are able to consolidate and unite in the future so that their sympathies merge into a single powerful voice.
If we talk about specific things, I will give this example. Investments made in the Soviet period in the training of students from developing countries, assistance in the construction of economic facilities there still have a positive impact. Former students of Soviet universities today in power in many states, including thanks to our education. They are most often supporters of the development of relations with Russia.
The same China: it is known that now in the older generation of Chinese leaders there are a lot of those who studied in the Soviet Union. From 1951 to 1961, eight thousand Chinese have completed this training. Almost all of them now occupy high positions in various fields of activity, have become respected, influential people. And they are very warm to Russia.
But now twenty thousand Chinese students are studying in the Russian Federation. However, what kind of people they are, how do they learn, what will be their future fate, with what attitude to Russia will they return to their homeland? These questions need to be studied and monitored. We need to work with these people so that in the future they invest their acquired knowledge, skills, experience, sympathy for Russia in the development of bilateral relations on an objective and unbiased basis. We must acquire, I will stress, not agents of influence, but people who know our country sympathize with it. This, of course, applies not only to the Chinese, but also to the Germans, the French, the Americans, the citizens of other countries.
- In recent years, more and more often we have to deal with the fact that in some countries historical events in which Russia took part are interpreted, frankly, ambiguously. Sometimes it even actually becomes part of the state ideology. Not to mention the assessment of the role of Russia in the events of the Second World War in the Baltic States or in Ukraine, even the Bucharest peace of 1812, some politicians in Moldova call a black page in the history of their country. What steps does Rossotrudnichestvo take to counter such tendencies?
- We are very seriously cooperating with Rosarchiv and jurisdictional archives. We conducted a survey of all our representatives abroad about which dates, in their opinion, need additional historical “highlighting” and what needs to be done to do this. We have formed a list of our proposals, transferred it to Rosarkhiv and are now jointly preparing a series of thematic exhibitions of archival documents, specially selected for a particular historical event and for a specific country. Such exhibitions will be exhibited on the basis of our centers.
A concrete example: together with the Ukrainian colleagues of 26 in September in Kiev, we will hold a presentation of a collection of historical documents on the history of the Ukrainian nationalist movement 1939-1945 prepared by the Rosarchive. It is worth noting that in this two-volume edition there are no political comments at all, there are simply documents that, perhaps, no one in Ukraine has ever seen, but which you definitely need to read, in order to avoid shameful decisions, like conferring high state titles memorable Ukrainian collaborators.
- How does Rossotrudnichestvo interact with other agencies and funds operating in the field of public diplomacy?
- We closely cooperate not only with state authorities, but with international and Russian non-governmental organizations, other institutions of civil society, using the potential and initiatives in the field of public diplomacy. One of Rossotrudnipchestvo’s main partners is the Russian Association for International Cooperation (RAMS), whose members are more than 90 public associations, including friendship societies with foreign countries. By the way, with the assistance of Rossotrudnichestvo, societies of friendship with the peoples of Moldova, Syria, Spain, Australia, Slovenia, Austria were restored.
We cooperate with the Foundation for the Support of Public Diplomacy named after A. M. Gorchakov, with the Russian Council on International Affairs (INF), with the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SWAP). That is, there are a large number of political, I stress, structures working in the field of public diplomacy, which are necessarily our partners who are willing to accept Rossotrudnichestvo as a coordinator of relevant activities under the general coordinating authority of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
- What tasks does Rossotrudnichestvo set itself for the near future?
- Once again, I note that work in the CIS space remains a priority for Rossotrudnichestvo. The priority task is to expand our presence in the CIS countries, to restore a common humanitarian space. And this task is quite feasible.
By 2020, Rossotrudnichestvo has plans to increase the number of representative offices to 140-150 in 104 countries of the world. The agency plans to develop a program of study tours from abroad to Russia for young representatives of political, public, academic and business circles of foreign countries. In 2011, 200 was taken by young people, mostly from the CIS countries, this year we plan to bring 500 people, and by 2014, we hope that their number will reach 1000.
It is obvious that within the framework of one conversation it is difficult to tell about all the intentions, but I want to emphasize that Rossotrudnichestvo is open to public dialogue and is ready to accept constructive and interested advice and suggestions.
Information