The agency for the CIS affairs, which is now created under the Russian Foreign Office (Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is seen in the photo), is to demonstrate Russia’s neighbor states a new friendlier face of Moscow.
Photo: Konstantin Melnitskiy
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The CIS to Fall under Russia’s Influence
// A new federal agency to be in charge of resources in the post-Soviet space
A special federal agency to deal with the post-Soviet space
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has addressed the government with a proposal to set up a federal agency for the CIS affairs, which will engage in international humanitarian cooperation and contacts with compatriots. The new body is to start its work by September. According to the idea of its creators, the organization is to become an analogue of the American USAID promoting Russia’s influence in the near abroad. The Kremlin explains the necessity of its foundation by the fact that “the time of threats has gone for good” and now Russia “has every resource to expand its influence in the Commonwealth using peaceful methods.”
Vyacheslav Shumsky, director of the CIS States First Department with the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Kommersant about establishing a new governmental body in the near future. According to him, so far the MFA’s suggestions concerning the creation of a federal agency for the CIS affairs, compatriots abroad and international humanitarian cooperation have been sent to the government. “The document is of working character; it has been drafted as a set of proposals. Now it’s coordinated in the corresponding departments,” Mr Shumsky explained it to Kommersant.
The Foreign Office hopes that the document will have undergone all due bureaucratic procedures as early as August, and after it a government regulation of setting up an agency for the CIS affairs will be issued. With that, Dmitry Medvedev’s decree “The system and structure of federal executive bodies” of May 12 will be fulfilled. One of the provisions of this document orders that “a federal agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States should be created,” which the Foreign Ministry will be in charge of. The mentioned decree also reads that the head of state will guide the new agency and the MFA proper.
The structure and functions of the agency will be covered in detail in the government regulation, which is now prepared. However, its creation envisages a number of inter-departmental mergers. For instance, Roszarubezhtsentr (the Russian Center for International Scientific and Cultural Cooperation) under the MFA is to affiliate with it. Chief of the Center, Eleonora Mitrofanova confirmed to Kommersant that such plans exist. Besides, the new department will be financially independent from the MFA. “The financing of the agency must be stipulated in the state budget separately. As to the amount of the money which will be allocated for its needs, it’s the Finance Ministry that is to address this issue,” Valery Mikhaylov, deputy head of the CIS States First Department, told Kommersant. This is how he outlined the mission of the agency, “It’s an attempt to strengthen our policy in the CIS in terms of practical projects we had no opportunity to carry out earlier. We must help the countries of the Commonwealth and address their challenges under the auspices of Russia.” For all that, corresponding departments with Russia’s Foreign Office will pursue foreign policy towards the CIS as they used to do.
The body created has been discussed by politicians and officials in charge of the post-Soviet space. The Russian Security Council, which is looking forward to its establishing, has specified the range of its tasks to Kommersant in more detail. “We’ll reach a new level of relations with the CIS states with the help of the agency. The time of threats has gone for good. Now we have every resource to expand its influence in the Commonwealth using peaceful methods – via support of friendly NGOs, and targeted financing of educational, humanitarian and cultural programs for the Russian-speaking,” a high ranking official with the Foreign Ministry told Kommersant.
According to another source, which is close to the Kremlin, the peculiarity of the agency will lie in its ability to work regardless of the current political situation, “Whatever our relations with one country or another, this department will do its business: give grants, provide libraries with literature in the Russian language, work with NGOs. At the same time, the President and the MFA can wage war with the neighbors as much as they want.”
In his turn, Deputy Head of the Duma Committee for the CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin told Kommersant that during a recent meeting of Dmitry Medvedev with Russia’s ambassadors and diplomats the President made it the point that the agency will actively cooperate with public organizations. “He’ll be in charge of supporting Russia’s non-governmental sector in the CIS – NGOs, foundations and branch offices of our organizations. This work hasn’t been duly developed and has never had the state’s support. At the same time, in the USA, for example, it all has been developed and brought to perfection,” the MP said.
The activities of the agency for the CIS resemble the ones of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It has branch offices in some 100 countries including all the CIS republics. It has already become an instrument of Washington’s political influence. An autonomous organization, the USAID closely cooperates with the U.S. State Department and is accountable to the State Secretary. The interlocutors of Kommersant make no secret of the fact that Moscow intends to take advantage of the American experience of promoting its interests and even challenge Washington.
It is not clear yet who will head the new body. Nevertheless, Kommersant has found out that a candidature is now selected. Valery Loshchinin, Russia’s current Permanent Representative at the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Duma International Affairs Committee, have been offered the post. The latter neither confirmed nor denied the fact of the offer when talking to Kommersant. “I won’t give any commentary. I’ll only state that I support the idea of setting up the agency,” Mr Kosachev said. Officials with the MFA explained it to Kommersant that the chief of the agency must be a respected person, who’ll be commissioned to communicate with the CIS leaders.
Vladimir Solovyov
All the Article in Russian as of July 31, 2008
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