Results Of Work In The Field Of Implementation Of Public Diplomacy Projects Were Discussed In The Crimean Parliament
People's diplomacy as a factor in the normalization of international relations is the main issue on the agenda of the next meeting of the Committee on People's Diplomacy and Interethnic Relations, in which the Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov and his deputy Oedip Gafarov took part.
According to the head of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, it is the people's diplomacy that is the instrument that can change the opinion of people about Crimea in the West. “This area of ​​activity is not very typical for other regional parliaments of the Russian Federation, but Crimea, having gone through serious historical trials, received the moral right to engage in such an important matter as public diplomacy. Obviously, the West's attitude towards us will not change at the snap of the fingers - the prejudice towards Russia and the own strategic plans of our "partners" have been formed for decades. However, according to publications, speeches from the tribunes of the parliaments of European countries, it becomes clear that the sprouts of public diplomacy "breakthrough" the wall of the information blockade, the head of the State Council stressed.
The publication of books about the Crimean spring, filming and reporting of foreign TV channels about the life of modern Crimea, according to Vladimir Konstantinov, are real ways to reach out to ordinary people in the West, voters who, by their will, can change the political situation. “We are open and ready to show the ordinary life of Crimea and Crimeans without embellishment. Of course, we, like any other region, have problems, but the main thing is that we got away from war, ruins and were able to save our regional identity. In this regard, the activities of the Committee on People's Diplomacy and Interethnic Relations are unique and in demand, because interest in Crimea in the West is only growing, and this is our chance to convey the truth to the people, - summed up the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Crimea.
Speaking about the implemented projects in the field of public diplomacy, the Chairperson of the profile Committee, Yuri Gempel, called the republic's experience in this area unique, since "no other region of the country has been subjected to such tough sanctions as Crimea."
“Nevertheless, we managed to create a whole corps of people's diplomats in Western countries. So, in 2018, the State Council of the Republic of Crimea organized 23 meetings with representatives of foreign states, in 2019 - 30 meetings, in 2020 due to the pandemic only 6. The composition of delegations has qualitatively changed: now representatives of business, politicians, public figures who have their own audience, the ability to broadcast objective information about the real situation and are able to influence public opinion, "- said J. Gempel.
The parliamentarian said that for effective work, an Expert Council was formed under the committee, which included representatives of government bodies, academia, and the public. “The result of the council's work was the development of the Concept of People's Diplomacy in the Republic of Crimea, which is used by public organizations in the implementation of projects in the field of public diplomacy. At the initiative of our committee and as a result of cooperation with the State Committee for Nationalities, funds were allocated from the budget of the Republic of Crimea for implementation of these projects by national and cultural autonomies, "said Yuri Gempel, adding that despite the sanctions, one cannot fail to note the growth of interest in Crimea on the part of foreign investors. ...
In confirmation of the words of the head of the Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea - Minister of Finance of Crimea Irina Kiviko clarified that more than 3300 business entities with foreign capital are registered in the republic, which is about 10% of the total number of legal entities. “The founders of such companies are representatives of 63 countries of the world - subjects from Ukraine, Belarus, Cyprus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Turkey, Armenia, Great Britain and other countries. Compared to 2017, the number of registered companies established by foreigners increased by 37%, since January 1, 2016, about $ 71 million of foreign investments were invested in the Crimean economy. People's diplomacy contributes to the humanization of international relations, helps us to talk about what is happening in Crimea, how stable the investment climate is, what maximum conveniences are created for the work of investors, - I. Kiviko is convinced.
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea - Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation Georgy Muradov spoke about the need to lift sanctions against Crimea and the inadmissibility of the use of double standards in world politics. Via video conferencing - Deputy of the Bundestag Waldemar Gerdt participated in the meeting. The news about work of the youth wing of the organization of people's diplomats in Germany its leader Lina Lipp reported in the form of a video message.
Following the meeting, the Committee approved an indicative plan of visits of foreign delegations (representatives of Norway, Germany, Italy, Greece, Armenia), and also, taking into account the proposal of the deputy Ivan Shonus, recommended the State Committee for Interethnic Relations to consider the issue of allocating funds from the budget of the Republic of Crimea for grant support of projects in the field of public diplomacy for national and cultural autonomies.
Press Service of the State Council Republic of Crimea