Transcript of Remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Opening of the International Public Forum ‘The Role of People’s Diplomacy in the Development of International Humanitarian Cooperation,’ Moscow, December 16, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
First of all I would like to welcome all participants of the International Public Forum ‘The Role of People’s Diplomacy in the Development of International Humanitarian Cooperation,’ and to wish you fruitful deliberations.
In the modern world, the humanitarian dimension of foreign policy and public diplomacy are a significant factor of international life. Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept stresses that the development of international humanitarian cooperation is an important means of forging inter-civilization dialogue, achieving consensus and ensuring mutual understanding among peoples.
Today this task is a priority; its accomplishment must promote the harmonization of international relations based on convergence and interpenetration of economies and cultures. It is about ensuring the cultural and civilizational compatibility of the modern world. This is a key element of the new paradigm of international relations, which President Dmitry Medvedev spoke about at the July Meeting of Ambassadors.
Such an approach fully blends with the main task of Russian foreign policy to create favorable external conditions for the comprehensive modernization of the country, the diversification of the economy and its transfer to an innovative, high-tech model of development.
Russia’s current transformation fits into the common modernization imperative for global development. The world needs a renovated Russia, bearing in mind the development potential which can become a major resource for overcoming the effects of the global financial crisis for our partners in the Euro-Atlantic area, the Asia-Pacific and other regions, including the CIS space, where the integration processes are gaining momentum. I am confident that Russia’s future is inextricably linked to the world around us. Likewise, the development vector of the rest of the world largely depends on the future of our country.
The strategic drive towards modernization gives our foreign policy and diplomacy clear-cut goals, understandable inside and outside the country. It widens our foreign policy horizon and helps to reinforce our line on promoting a positive, unifying agenda, and facilitating the formation of collective mechanisms for governing international relations at the global and regional levels. This is necessary in order to find optimal answers to the new challenges and threats that are common to all states and affect the interests of all citizens without exception.
Modernization involves the further development of democratic institutions of civil society. Here we have the imperatives of internal development paired with our foreign policy objectives. All the more significant is the activity of parliamentary diplomacy, NGOs, experts and businesses. As international experience shows, the diplomatic service can keep pace with the times only by combining efforts with civil society and its institutions.
The Foreign Ministry holds regular meetings with representatives of Russian NGOs to discuss the pressing issues of the development of public diplomacy and of the activities of these organizations in the international arena. Cooperation with the civil society institutions and facilitation of their integration into the international NGO community opens up additional opportunities for us to seek new approaches to dealing with contemporary global issues and to further boost inter-civilization and intercultural dialogue.
We hope that a new impetus to our cooperation will be provided by the activities of the Russian Council on International Affairs and the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund.
People’s or – as we also say – public diplomacy has always played an important role in promoting an atmosphere of trust, consensus building and mutual understanding. Direct human communication helps us get to know each other better, dispel phobias and stereotypes, and conduces to shaping a harmonious relationship, based on which multifaceted ties are later built in various fields.
Today, the world sees a huge increase in the number of “actors” involved in international communication. In these circumstances, people’s diplomacy has become an important foreign policy resource, one of the most dynamic areas of world politics. A vivid example of people’s diplomacy is the activity of the Russian Association for International Cooperation, which incorporates 70-plus societies of friendship with peoples of foreign countries.
Of particular importance is the development of humanitarian cooperation within the Commonwealth of Independent States area. Strengthening relations with the CIS partners is our most important foreign policy priority. Our cooperation is underlain by centuries of shared history, by a common economy and culture and by close ties between people. This provides a unique opportunity to build humanitarian ties based on the preservation and enhancement of our common cultural and civilizational heritage. With globalization, it is an important resource for the CIS in general and each member state in particular. We welcome the initiatives of public organizations aimed at giving new impetus to our joint efforts and at their consolidation, and we stand ready to provide necessary assistance to the implementation of the proposed projects. This is an important contribution to the work of the Council and the Fund.
Our forum is dedicated to a significant date - the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. Over the years much has been done to disseminate information about our country, its rich history and cultural heritage, economic and spiritual potential, and to strengthen ties with foreign partners.
The Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, Compatriots Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation has now been dealing with these issues for more than two years. The multifaceted activities of the Agency and its representations abroad – Russian centers of science and culture – are aimed at promoting an objective image of our country in the world, introducing people elsewhere to Russia’s achievements in various fields, deepening links in culture, education, science and expanding the circle of friends of our country.
In a relatively short time Rossotrudnichestvo has convincingly proved its relevance as an effective tool for implementation of the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation in the sphere of international humanitarian cooperation. We note the focus on imparting a systemic character to its work and adopting new techniques and approaches that take into account the demands of the times. A vivid reflection of this was the initiative put forward by Rossotrudnichestvo to hold this Forum.
Dear friends,
Gathered here today are statesmen and public figures from around the world, people whose whole life is devoted to the task of strengthening friendship and mutual understanding among peoples. We highly appreciate our interaction and are ready to further enhance cooperation. We are united by lofty aims – to serve the ideals of freedom and justice, respect the distinctiveness of all cultures and civilizations, and ensure security and stability throughout the world.
I am convinced that the Forum will be an important practical step in the development of international humanitarian cooperation and of contacts at the level of the public. This is one of the essential conditions for the formation of a more democratic and equitable polycentric world order. I look forward to new constructive initiatives aimed at bolstering harmony among peoples.

December 16, 2010

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