“Now we live in a very difficult geopolitical situation, but even in this situation there are joyful moments – we have a huge, rich, sovereign, proud and independent country behind us, and the foreign policy course pursued by the leadership of our country is easy and pleasant to fulfill in good conscience”. With these words Alexander Alimov, Director of the Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Chairman of the Board of the “Russian World” Foundation, began an important discussion during a recent live broadcast.
We are at a time when diplomacy especially from a West vs. Russia standpoint is certainly at an all-time low and most believe that it would be for the benefit of all to change this. So many external factors have been pushing Moscow and Washington away from each other. This makes the work of diplomacy incredibly difficult yet also even more important.
Mr. Alimov speaking to the younger members of the crowd who could become future Foreign Ministry workers, noted that Russia’s diplomatic service has the “primacy of professionalism”, and this is a sign of its quality. He advised young people who want to connect their life with diplomatic work not to look backwards, but go forward, not to be afraid to find themselves in any unexpected place in the world, not to choose “prestigious places”. The diplomat said that he himself started his service in Cambodia and “was never disappointed”.
Commenting on the concept of “soft power”, Mr. Alimov specified that he does not like the concept itself, because it was born in “American brains”, and now we see a vivid example of exposing the shameful use of this tool in the news about the USAID agency. Of course, what the Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations does is formally a soft power tool, along with digital diplomacy, analytical diplomacy, and political science. But “in our activities, we do not use ‘soft power’ to undermine or overthrow regimes or interfere in the internal affairs of other countries”.
“We do not strive for revolutions, we follow the path of evolutionary improvement”, said Alexander about the changes that took place in the activities of the Russkiy Mir Fund. “The task we have working on with these changes is to create a well and stably functioning, extensive, branched out and, if possible, universal system for the promotion and popularization of the Russian language and culture abroad.”
Right now “the country’s foreign policy is being implemented in a difficult geopolitical situation”, the diplomat noted. “The United States and European Union countries are not ready for equal cooperation with Russia. The sanctions policy has spread, among other things, to the cultural and humanitarian sphere…” But, Alexander Alimov additionally noted that, “these obstacles are not force majeure circumstances. In some countries there is indeed a complete ban on professional interaction with the the Russkiy Mir Foundation, but the Foundation (and Russia) is open to the global majority, and the interest of these countries is well felt”. Regardless of sanctions, russophobia and other repressions, for 2025 Russkiy Mir is planning to open new Russian centers in Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, India, the Philippines, Algeria, Vietnam. They will also experiment with sending Russian language teachers abroad.
The focus of the Foundation’s activities “has always been on grant support for partners abroad. The grant program should be strengthened by the maximum possible means, including financial”, Alexander Alimov stressed. In 2024, about one hundred international events were held in more than twenty countries with the support of the Foundation. Last year, a new Regulation on Grants was developed and approved. The mechanism of grant support has become more transparent, new criteria for project evaluation have been defined, a new methodology for evaluating applications has been developed, applicants will be able to receive comprehensive information about the results of the evaluation and the winners of the competition.
During his speech, Alexander Alimov also commented on the issue of interaction between the International Russophile Movement and compatriots abroad, noting that the opportunities for this connection and conjugation of their efforts are obvious, and the Foundation, as well as the departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs working with relevant organizations, are ready to help in establishing these ties and assessing the prospects for the implementation of joint plans.
“The Assembly of the Russian World will definitely take place this year. The Assembly is a flagship event, significant and important for the meeting of partners and associates of the Foundation from all over the world”, Mr. Alimov confirmed.
“The Russian World is my homeland, the world where I was born, my delightful, beautiful, huge country Russia, which never ceases to surprise, delight, delight and create reasons for new pride. The Russian World is all compatriots who by the will of fate have found themselves abroad, but who realize themselves as part of the Russian World, this huge united whole. These are people who realize their belonging to Russian history, to the inseparability of Russian history. The Russian world is a system of coordinates of the respiratory tract and the cardiovascular system. It is the organism in which we live, it is all of us”, Alexander Alimov said.
His words are perfectly in line with the values of the International Russophile Movement and we are glad to have any cooperation with Russky Mir and Mr. Alimov himself.