The Russian side is currently exploring possibilities for opening diplomatic missions in South Sudan, Niger, and Sierra Leone in the future, Alexei Klimov, the Head of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with the Parlamentskaya Gazeta.
"Efforts aimed at increasing the representation of Russian diplomacy and expanding consular presence in friendly countries are continuously underway. Decisions have already been made and agreed upon with the authorities of the host countries to open embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea, and consulates general in Kapan (Armenia), Aktau (Kazakhstan), Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Denpasar (Indonesia), and Male (Maldives). The possibility of opening diplomatic missions in South Sudan, Niger, and Sierra Leone is being analyzed for the future," noted the diplomat.
Klimov provided some indicators of consular services abroad for the past year. "In 2023, foreign missions issued just under 30 thousand temporary identity documents granting the right to enter (or return) to the Russian Federation in case of loss of a foreign passport. Meanwhile, during the same period, more than 460 thousand passports were issued for the same purpose (for which tourists usually do not apply to foreign travel agencies due to long processing times)," Klimov said.
The diplomat refrained from assigning "artificial ratings" to countries where Russians can safely travel. "Unlike the foreign policy departments of some Western countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry does not assign artificial 'ratings' and 'anti-ratings' to foreign countries, which are often politicized and mislead tourists," he emphasized.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS