Address by H.E.Mr.Gleb A. Ivashentsov

Ambassador of the Russian Federation,

at the reception in the Russian Embassy

on the occasion of the Russia Diplomatic Service Day

(February 10, 2009, Seoul)

I am glad to welcome you at the reception in our Embassy on the occasion of the Russia Diplomatic Service Day, which has become a kind of tradition.

Last year was full of significant and sometimes dramatic events. Russia�s relations with European and other partners withstood the test of Caucasian crisis and the problems of transporting Russian gas to Europe. These events helped to clarify a lot in the international affairs and confirmed that the issues could be settled only when the parties act in an unbiased, open and responsible way.

Today, the world is faced with the first really global crisis, which touched upon all countries without exception, irrespective of their political or economic system.

Accords are to be reached. Common solutions are to be found. Because all are in the same boat. At this moment, as ever before, important and responsible is the mission of diplomats, those eternal wanderers between the capitals of different states who play the role of conveyer belts and gears of a huge over-worked mechanism of the international politics, represented by summits, dialogues and conferences at which the leaders of the states reach their fateful agreements.

We are happy that in the process of formulating a positive agenda for the world community Russia and the Republic of Korea are acting from common or similar positions. That has been convincingly confirmed by the Russian-South Korean summit in Moscow last September when the Presidents of two countries took
a decision to raise bilateral relations up to the level of strategic cooperation and partnership.

The aims of the Russian diplomacy are simple and clear. They are directed to create favorable external conditions for safe and comfortable life of Russians. The absolute majority of other countries want the same for their citizens. In the modern interconnected world this can be achieved by joint efforts only, acting together in the spirit of partnership.

We do not close eyes to the differences, double standards and recurrences of block mentality which still remain in the world. But it is not by them that the main direction of the world development is determined. The ideas which really unite and not divide the world community are resolutely coming to the foreground.

Let us work together for the sake of peace and prosperity of our peoples!

To diplomats � Russian and foreign ones!