Witold Jurash was a chargé d’affaires RP in Belarus, as well as a diplomat in the Polish embassy in Moscow. We print a fragment of his book "Demons of Russia".
OneWhat struck Russian diplomacy is the ability to usage every, least chance for its purposes.
I erstwhile participated in a conference of the Black Sea Cooperation Organisation, in which Poland has observer status. Countries participating in the conference were represented by either abroad ministers or deputy ministers, and fewer by ambassadors. In our case, no 1 came from Warsaw and the ambassador sent me.
Of course, I was far besides low a rank to attend the conference at all. The Russians, of course, immediately noticed it and so moved the cards and flags in the hall that I was at 1 point between the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lawrow and then Turkish abroad Minister Abdullah Güll. Of course, the point was that nobody's attention should be escaped by the fact that Poland sent a low-ranking diplomat and thus showed disregard for another participants.
Speaking of flag shifting, I besides attended a conference shortly before the Russian-Georgian War. Georgia represented the Deputy abroad Minister, who was seated at the very end of the table, and given his rank, he should have had a much better place. So I took a card with the inscription Poland and the Polish flag and sat next to Georgian.
The function of toilets in the planet of diplomats
One of the funniest episodes I remember from many meetings at the Russian Ministry of abroad Affairs was a visit to the bathroom. Toilets are by their way very crucial places in the planet of diplomacy. 1 of the basic principles is that erstwhile accompanied by a abroad delegation, specified as the President, you should always usage it precisely erstwhile the president feels the need. Not due to the fact that sharing a bathroom brings people closer, but due to the fact that there may not be a chance later.
One of the heads of the diplomatic protocol told me the following story. Before 1 of the NATO summits, this experienced diplomat ordered the toilet. The president said there was no need. An experienced chief of protocol explained to him that erstwhile the gathering begins, he may not be able to leave the area for a fewer hours and besides assures that it is worth it.
The intrigued president went to the WC, where he discovered that equally experienced heads of protocol besides have presidents of the United States, France, Turkey and Prime Minister of large Britain. My father, in turn, told me that as a young diplomat in the United States, he met the then vice president of the United States in the Senate. This would most likely not be possible today, as even on this occasion the vice president would be accompanied by a large group of safety officers.
The toilet is besides worth going for social and political purposes. In my case, in the bathroom, I met the first Deputy Minister of abroad Affairs of Russia. A bit amazed that the Deputy Minister uses the same toilet as everyone else (in the Polish Ministry of abroad Affairs there are separate toilets for what the most crucial officials are), I told him a good morning to which the associate, who I am, the Deputy Minister replied that he would not give me his hand, but not due to the fact that we intend to build an anti-missile shield installation on our territory.
One of the most crucial directors and at the same time a associate of the alleged MFA College of Russia was the manager of the abroad Policy Planning Department. In his case, not even the Visegrad Group trick worked. Still, given that he was the creator of Medvedev's plan, I wanted to meet him. 1 day I managed to call him. erstwhile asked about rank, I replied that I was the first secretary. In response, I heard that I was besides low a rank to meet me, and my interviewer assured me that he would welcome my ambassador.
I replied to specified a dictum that, of course, I know that it would be something peculiar if I were accepted, but I decided to effort my luck, due to the fact that as a young diplomat, I would have the chance to learn a lot, and as “the large Lenin” utilized to say, “You gotta learn, learn and learn again.” The clearly entertained manager asked if NATO diplomats knew who “the large Lenin” was. I replied that, of course, yes, but the right question is whether the manager twenty-five years after the dissolution of the USSR inactive remembers who the planet leader of the proletariat was. In response, I heard: “Thursday, 4:00 p.m.” and the sound of the hung-up headphones.
You can buy a book by Witold Juras “Demons of Russia” Here!
OneCover of the book “Demons of Russia”
Diplomatic Trick
The trick I utilized very frequently in my dealings with the Russians was to mention that my father was an ambassador. In this aspect, the conservative Russian MFA, where a diplomatic career is frequently a household tradition, opened quite a few doors for me. Many years ago, my father told me that diplomats everywhere in the planet share ambassadors and the rest. Yes, it is.
At diplomatic parties, ambassadors form their own, fundamentally closed circles, to which younger diplomats are seldom invited. 1 of the sacred principles is that if you are already invited, you should give after a fewer minutes to realize that you do not want to interfere. You always get a signal to stay in the circle, but to show that you realize the difference between your position and the position of ambassadors, makes you again invited or introduced to individual interested.
At 1 point I noticed that in the case of the Russians (but also, for example, the British) anecdotes of my father's life were unrepentantly thrown, causing a change in the way I was treated. I was no longer a mediocre diplomat, but alternatively the boy of a colleague.
I must honestly add that the trick was erstwhile misunderstood. 1 of the Russian diplomats, although in his case diplomacy was most likely just a cover for the right profession, began to take me in the hair, making remarks that since my father was a diplomat in the times of the Polish People's Republic, I surely realize Russian concerns. I replied in a cold way that my father was an ambassador of Poland besides at the time erstwhile she joined NATO, celebrating this event, genuinely enjoying it, and that first of all I learned from my father only Polish concerns.
The conversation took place in the company of 1 of the directors of the Russian MFA department and the Italian Ambassador. A very symptomatic and, I think, authentic reaction of the first one, who even knocked out his lower-ranking colleague, and erstwhile he left, he addressed me and Italy with the words, “They never learn anything.” This does not mean, of course, that the manager was in any way more kind to the West than his younger colleague. Rather, he was known for being unkind to us.
Contrary to what I frequently heard in Poland, being a alleged ministry kid in my assessment in any case reduced, and did not increase the likelihood of attempts to recruit. Not that I gotta deal with decent people, though I have met specified among Russian diplomats, but due to the fact that being part of a circumstantial dynasty made it assumed that even if I am not from the service myself, individual is my uncle in the management of the service.
A fewer years later, I spoke to the American chargé d’affaires in Belarus, who was the boy of a legendary American diplomat. erstwhile I asked him if he shared my impressions, he replied that he did. The problem is something else. Whatever you do, for the first 20 years you live in the shadow of your father (or – little frequently – your mother), so you're screwed anyway. There's something about this way.
