How often have you had a heart-to-heart talk with people in high government or serious positions? You must admit that it’s quite difficult to slobber for the big rank of just a person with his own experience, feelings and assessments.
It so happened that all the conversations with diplomats from Russia and neighboring countries in the Emirates, we usually came down to discussing Middle Eastern policy issues, establishing bilateral trade and economic cooperation and protecting the interests of compatriots abroad. Diplomats, with their characteristic diplomacy, reported textbook details of their biography and career development. On this point, they were generally happy with each other - the journalists did the work, the ambassadors and consuls that they had met with representatives of the local Russian press would suddenly come in handy.
Our conversation with the new Consul General of the Russian Federation in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Sergey Alekseevich Krasnogor, somehow immediately turned off that already skated track ...
-Sergei Alekseevich, you are an international journalist by education. Why did you leave the profession?
- Yes, I graduated from the faculty of international journalism at MGIMO. At that time, it was decided that some of the graduates should be sent to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this distribution among students was then considered the best. In short, it turned out that I, I emphasize, although not a native Muscovite, but got into the diplomatic service.
- Where are you from?
- I'm from Vyborg. There is such a city and, in my opinion, it is one of the most remarkable in Russia - in Karelia, on the border with Finland. By the way, I went to diplomacy for a long time. After graduating from an aviation technical school, he worked in polar aviation for several years. And then he entered MGIMO.
“And yet, why not journalism?” After all, it is also a prestigious and even dangerous profession.
- As I said, it happened. Now, frankly, I do not regret it. To some extent, diplomacy is akin to journalism. In general, with regard to journalism, at the present time, it seems to me, it is worth drawing a line between Soviet journalists and a separate part of the modern writing fraternity. When we were taught, journalism was serious and professional. I'm talking about responsibility. Today, in my opinion, this profession has somewhat devalued. People write what they want. In pursuit of "fried facts" they are ready to do anything, and then they write something similar to reality, but only remotely reflecting what is actually happening. This also applies to foreign policy issues. Among today's journalists, there are often amateurs who do not always understand the history, sociology, economic processes taking place in the world and in specific regions and countries. By the way, this does not apply to those who are working in the Middle East, in particular, television journalists. They really meet all the requirements of a high professional school.
- Is it all about the quality of education?
- Rather, in the approach to what is now called education. At one time there was a very serious school. If a person was engaged in foreign policy issues, then, as a rule, he was guided by a specific region. We had “Americanists” - absolutely stunning, “Sinists”, as well as those who were guided by European countries. Orientalists who studied the Middle East region were generally considered an elite. We all received such a serious education that, working in our regions, meeting people, talking with them, we could understand the ongoing processes, analyze them, predict the situation and reliably state the course of events, I will not hide, in accordance with the political course that was then carried out by our country.
Now, by the way, one can discuss for a long time about the advantages or disadvantages of the general line that existed in Soviet times. But, in any case, no one made an attempt to write or tell a gag. I do not argue that different opinions, fresh thoughts and ideas are important and necessary. However, today the profession of a journalist is, in fact, turned into the profession of a showman. What else would entertain a respected public? That's what makes me sad.
It’s sometimes TV presenters or reporters will say, you’re just wondering where they get all this from. That is why today the credibility of the media is lost. And they say how? Today, a whole generation of people has grown up who speak monstrous Russian. But 2007 was declared the year of the Russian language.
- Perhaps this comes from the desire of the Russians to speak one or several foreign languages?
- Well, what are you. A foreign language or even several cannot be learned without knowing well your native language. Ask my wife. She is my Arabic teacher and considers this language one of the richest in the world. I myself am fluent enough in Arabic and English. But what can replace Russian? Of course, in those countries where I worked, people were always pleased when I spoke with them in their native language, and I will not hide it, this contributed to the quick establishment of contact with the interlocutor. But with you, we communicate in Russian.
I recently attended a reception where an Arab, who had once been educated in one of the Russian universities, told me to another Arab about the virtues and richness of the Russian language. In his opinion, the Russian language is much more multifaceted than its native Arabic. Although, of course, every language is worthy of respect. And even more so, Arabic. After all, this is civilization, history, traditions.
- Let's talk a little bit about the beginning of your work as consul general of Russia in Dubai and the northern emirates. By the way, we want to note right away that with your arrival at the consulate general they began to answer phone calls, and not just report the time of his work with the help of an answering machine. We put this on the list of your achievements. What else awaits the citizens of Russia?
- Thank you for celebrating our first innovation. I promise there will be a lot of them. For our citizens, no matter how trite it sounds, it is important to know that the consulate general works here for them and for their sake.
I would not want to talk for the hundredth time about such direct duties of the Consulate General as obtaining visas, passports, registering marriages and having children. I really want, being at this post, to try to somehow unite the Russians living in the Emirates. So that everyone feels a piece of a huge country that will not give offense. I'm already looking for a new building for the consulate general, more spacious and more comfortable for our citizens.
Ideally, Russians need a center or club where they could come to meet with each other, discuss some problems or find common ground in business or life. And I also plan to talk about this with those who have long been living in the UAE and can really contribute to such an initiative. I hope Moscow will be able to help us with this.
According to our estimates, the Russian diaspora (I really do not like the word "colony") has about ten thousand people. I am sure that not everyone is familiar with each other. Some of our compatriots communicate at concerts, tours of Russian artists, exhibitions, and Orthodox services. But this is so little.
I have already met and intend to meet with Russian businessmen, representatives of our North Caucasian diaspora in the Emirates, and with journalists. I’m talking to you now. Together we are power, and we can achieve a lot. Of course, I would like tourists and visitors to the country, and its residents to always be registered with the consulate. I am personally sorry that this procedure has ceased to be mandatory.
- Many simply do not want the authorities to know about them.
- Nonsense. We are not a fiscal authority, and we are not going to inform anyone where it should. These times are long gone. But we can notify compatriots and help them avoid trouble. Imagine a situation when a young woman arrives in the UAE in search of work, gets bound, the "employers" take her passport from her, and then the victim is behind bars. Local authorities are calling the Consulate General. We are going to jail and must take the word “young lady” that she is from Russia. Then we make a huge number of inquiries at the place of residence to establish her identity and citizenship. And she may not be Russian, but Belarusian or Ukrainian, for example. How to sort it out? But if her data were at the consulate, we already knew by her first name, patronymic and last name that she was a Russian citizen.
There is another interesting question. They don’t teach us at school and at home that we shouldn’t trust a stranger uncle or aunt and follow them wherever they want? However, the desire to make quick easy money seems to prevail over common sense. From here it turns out - I'm going to be a manager, but I get into what I got into. Therefore, I also intend to get acquainted with the licenses of Russian employers, who are legally given the right to send them to work in the UAE. In a word, try to restore order in this matter.
And with tourists there are different incidents with the loss or theft of documents, and other incidents in which they often fall. A Western tourist will not stick his nose out of the country until he has a telephone and the address of the consulate and embassy of his country abroad. So far, this is not so common here.
- So, do you want Russian citizens living and working in the UAE to go to the consulate general, as to their home?
- Want. And I consider it necessary.
Compatriots abroad should stick to each other. Maybe I will repeat myself, but we all represent our great country here. And I think that our citizens should know that the Russian Consulate General is here, and it is able to solve many problems that arise with the lives of our compatriots abroad. And after all, they remember about us only when something happened. That's right, we are standing guard over the interests of Russians here. But the Russians living here can do a lot and should do for the good of their own country. This must be remembered. And we are ready to help everyone who turns to us. In any work, “feedback” is important, and especially in the activities of the Consulate General. We will know about the problems of our people living here, which we can solve at different levels. And then everyone will be much better and more comfortable, even far from home.
Elena Olkhovskaya
