Is being a diplomat easy?

Today an interesting lecture was held for the students of Volgograd State University on the occasion of the Diplomatic Workers’ Day. Dmitry Belov, Deputy Director of the Latin American Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Second-Class Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, spoke to the students online.

Dmitry Belov spoke about the skills one needs to become an embassy officer, as well as challenges ambassadors and diplomatic staff face. The speaker drew the students’ attention to the specifics of ambassador work in Latin American countries, focusing on the factors that are common in the worldview of both Russians and Latin Americans.

The students asked questions about employment prospects, requirements for entering the diplomatic service, security of embassy staff and the increased influence of digital diplomacy. Dmitry Belov answered all the questions in detail and gave advice on establishing and maintaining contacts, spoke about Russia’s soft power – educational clubs and centers of science and culture abroad, which hold events, exhibitions and concerts to show the depth and spiritual richness of Russian culture.

The online lecture was organized by Center for Public Diplomacy of VolSU.

 “We hold such lectures in order to let our students further develop international communication skills,” Elena Parubochaya, director of Center of Public Diplomacy, says. “At such meetings, students learn a lot about the profession of a diplomat, define their own direction of personal development and find goals for professional growth. It is very important for us.”