Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Monday in an interview with first Deputy Director-General of TASS Mikhail Gusman told about his memories from long trips to Yemen, Syria, Israel and Egypt.
"In every country there is a memory and a part of personal life and professional activity. I worked in embassies in our diplomatic missions, everywhere there were friends and good teams, and good memories, - Bogdanov told. - Remember the youth, the first trip was in South Yemen in Aden, where I spent a few years. Of course when we all were young there were certain experience, certain interests, and sports, and maybe something more active when young people are working in one team, in one office. In Lebanon, too, the work was very interesting and intense, and there was a civil war and the Palestinian presence, and various difficult situations."
The Deputy Minister said that he had two business trips to Syria, a total of 10 years, from which he made a lot of impressions, and this Arab Republic became very close to him.
"I was an Ambassador to Israel and Egypt, of course, each country has its own specifics, very interesting history and culture, so it is difficult to make a choice. Especially since I then traveled to all the Arab countries, Middle Eastern countries and Africa now, - he continued. - Africa is a new region for me, but I was in 47 of the 56 countries. This is a very interesting region, and its countries differ in some historical and cultural features."
Bogdanov pointed out that a diplomat should love the country in which he works and the people who inhabit it.
"The task remains the same, if you just describe the meaning of the diplomatic profession - it is to make friends, not enemies. Therefore, the mood should be such as to expand the circle of friends who are sympathetic not only to you, but to you as a representative of Russia, the Russian people, and thus expand the opportunities for the implementation of our interests on a mutually beneficial and mutually respectful basis with those countries where we have to work as diplomats," Bogdanov concluded.
Work in the Middle East
Bogdanov also spoke about his work in the Middle East countries in crisis conditions, comparing it to "Russian roulette".
"In a region like the Middle East, where everything is burning, all the time there are some military and political conflicts, civil wars, it is scary. There are no absolute guarantees of security, despite the fact that, of course, the Foreign Ministry, the government, and the leadership are taking exhaustive measures to ensure the security of our diplomatic and consular institutions in the Middle East, where I have worked all my life," Bogdanov said.
In the history of domestic diplomacy, there were tragic events when people were kidnapped and killed, he added. "Both in Beirut and Baghdad. There are still processes of investigation, finding out the real factors, who stood, who carried out. It is sometimes very difficult to get to the truth, despite the fact that targeted and seemingly effective measures are being taken," the senior diplomat said.
Civil war in Lebanon
As Bogdanov noted, during his work in Middle Eastern countries, he also had to experience "a sense of fear and uncertainty." He recalled his work in Beirut in the late 1970s (during the Lebanese civil war- TASS).
"I remember a situation when I had to go to a meeting in the city, and at that time the shelling started. Sometimes the attacks were between the Western and Eastern parts of the city. There was a front line through which it was very dangerous to move because snipers sat on both sides and could kill anyone, - he told. - There were attacks on squares-they fired artillery shells just at random, to the side. When you drive in a city and you know that there is a shelling on the squares and somewhere in the neighboring streets shells are bursting, it's like Russian roulette. This, of course, is not a very pleasant impression."
The "Arab spring" in Egypt
Bogdanov also recalled the events of the "Arab spring" in Egypt in 2011, when he headed the Russian diplomatic mission in this country: "Hundreds of thousands of people were walking pass the Embassy, and not with very good intentions. They go to Tahrir square to protest, to speak against someone, this kind of color revolution. When people walk past the Embassy with sticks and knives, you don't know if they will turn in your direction or not. We even went out on the balconies, the flag of the Russian Federation was hanging. Thank God, they welcomed [Russia] as a friendly country."
Terrorist attack in Israel
"A very acute moment", the diplomat continued, occurred for him in June 2001 in Tel Aviv. Then at one of the discos in the city there was a terrorist attack, which killed 21 people. "We had a school graduation [at the Russian Embassy] on this day. As the Russian Ambassador to Israel, I went to school to congratulate all the students on the end of the school year. They discussed in the evening where they would celebrate the end of the school year. And one said: "We will go to the Dolphinarium disco. It's a good thing someone said that: "No, let's do it in our own circle."
"This evening in the "Dolphinarium" was the largest terrorist act <...>. It was an absolutely terrible tragedy. <...> If our students went there that evening, it would be a colossal tragedy for us," he stressed.
Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov spoke about the Middle Eastern cuisine
According to the high-ranking diplomat, each Middle Eastern country has its own peculiarities of national cuisine, its own gastronomic delights. For example, in some countries of the region, meat dishes prevail, and in some there is a wide variety of fish and seafood dishes.
In particular, the diplomat shared, there is a unique fish dish masguf in Baghdad. "And this is a unique cooking. This is a fish on coals, fish caught in the Tigris. And I have never tried anything like this anywhere except in Baghdad, " Bogdanov shared.
"Or in Damascus, Shawarma with garlic seasoning is something unique," the Deputy Foreign Minister added. He noted that the kitchen of the Maghreb, particularly in Morocco is presented by the couscous and, for example, in the Persian Gulf - in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, very tasty cooked seafood, lobster, shrimp.
"I have always liked Lebanese cuisine. There is a so-called Mesa in Beirut. There are small bowls of various snacks, 10-15 different types. Especially hummus, and mutabal, and tabouleh - it is, of course, all delicious and pleasant, especially with a flatbread," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"Every country has something special and unique from delicacies. So I would advise everyone to travel more and wider in order to get an idea about cooking in different countries because each has something special," he concluded.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry