Russia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Through Decline towards Renewal

Abstract

In the course of many decades the Soviet and Russian diplomatic services developed a close symbiosis. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) was established in 1944, it performed only formal and decorative functions. Moreover, the Russian Ministry was largely considered a dumping ground for incompetent or dishonoured diplomats. The Russian declaration of sovereign status in June 1990 and the subsequent appointment of Andrei Kozyrev as Minister did not change much in the traditional relationship between the Union and the Republican MFAs. However along with the dissolution of the Union and as the inter-republican talks transformed into negotiations between sovereign states, the Russian MFA’s role increased dramatically. Moreover, the Soviet MFA was disgraced by the supportive attitude of its leaders towards the coup leaders during and after the August 1991 putsch.