The Consulate General of Myanmar, along with honorary consuls of Mali and Mexico, have recently established their presence in St. Petersburg. According to Vladimir Zapevalov, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in St. Petersburg, further expansion of the consular corps, particularly from the African continent, is anticipated.
"The Republic of Myanmar has quickly and actively established itself in our country with the opening of a consulate general. We're also seeing an influx of honorary consuls, primarily from Africa and Latin America. This year, we've welcomed two honorary consuls: one from Mali and one from Mexico. Latin American and African countries are increasingly asserting their presence in the political arena of St. Petersburg," stated Zapevalov during a press conference commemorating the Day of Diplomatic Worker (celebrated on February 10).
Discussing changes in the city's consular corps, Zapevalov mentioned the closure of the consulates general of Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands in 2023, along with the revocation of exequaturs for the honorary consuls of Nicaragua, Seychelles, and Uruguay. He also noted diplomatic measures such as declaring persona non grata, affecting several employees of the Consulates General of Finland and Slovakia in 2023.
However, new representations have emerged to fill these gaps. The branch of the Embassy of Belarus has transformed into a general consulate, commencing operations in June, while the consulate general of Kyrgyzstan opened on September 1.
"As of December 31, 2023, St. Petersburg hosts 27 consulates general, one department for trade and economic relations at the embassy of the DPRK, one representative of the embassy of Djibouti, and 35 honorary consuls, along with one honorary vice-consul representing Peru," Zapevalov summarized.
Looking ahead to 2024, Zapevalov highlighted the increasing activity from the African continent and the potential expansion of honorary consuls. He also mentioned the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, which may attract countries expressing interest in joining the association.
"Despite the escalating pressure from the collective West, ongoing confrontation with the United States and its allies, and relentless hybrid warfare, Russian diplomacy has effectively tackled numerous tasks outlined by the Russian president, defending our national interests and preserving the Russian world," concluded Zapevalov, reflecting on the challenges and successes of Russian diplomacy in the past year.
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Based on materials from TASS