| Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation[1] | |||||||||
| Nativename: | Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации | ||||||||
| Formed: | (original)[2] (current form) | ||||||||
| Preceding1: | Collegium of Foreign Affairs | ||||||||
| Preceding2: | Ministry of External Relations (1991) | ||||||||
| Minister1 Name: | Sergei Lavrov | ||||||||
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||||||||
| Deputyminister1 Pfo: | First Deputy Minister | ||||||||
| Deputyminister1 Name: | Vladimir Titov | ||||||||
| Deputyminister4 Name: | Mikhail Bogdanov | ||||||||
| Deputyminister5 Name: | Gennadiy Gatilov | ||||||||
| Deputyminister6 Name: | Aleksey Meshkov | ||||||||
| Deputyminister7 Name: | Igor Morgulov | ||||||||
| Deputyminister8 Name: | Sergey Ryabkov[3] | ||||||||
| Chief1 Name: | Sergey Vyazalov | ||||||||
| Chief1 Position: | Director-General | ||||||||
| Chief2 Name: | Grigoriy Karasin | ||||||||
| Chief2 Position: | State Secretary | ||||||||
| Jurisdiction: | President of Russia | ||||||||
| Headquarters: | 32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square, Moscow | ||||||||
| Child1 Agency: | Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation | ||||||||
| Website: |
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; Russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with leading the foreign policy and foreign relations of Russia. It is a continuation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which was under the supervision of the Soviet Ministry of External Relations. Sergei Lavrov is the current foreign minister.
The structure of the Russian MFA central office includes divisions, which are referred to as departments. Departments are divided into sections. Russian MFA Departments are headed by Directors and their sections by Heads. According to Presidential Decree 1163 of September 11, 2007, the Ministry is divided into 39 departments.[4] Departments are divided into territorial (relations between Russia and foreign countries, grouped according to conventional regions) and functional (according to assigned functions). Each department employs 30-60 diplomats.
In addition, there are four divisions under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia: the Main Production and Commercial Department for servicing the diplomatic staff under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the Foreign Ministry College and the Russian Center for International Scientific and Cultural Cooperation.[5]
Outside the departmental structure, there are Ambassadors for special assignments, each responsible for a particular issue of international relations (for example, the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement). The ambassadors for special assignments report directly to the deputy ministers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a federal executive authority responsible for the development and implementation of state policy and normative-legal regulation in the field of international relations of the Russian Federation[6]
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of the Foreign Ministry.[7]
The main function of the ministry is to develop an overall foreign policy strategy, submit relevant proposals to the President and implement the foreign policy course.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates directly and through diplomatic representations and consular offices of the Russian Federation, representations of the Russian Federation to international organisations, and territorial offices of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the territory of Russia. The MFA system includes the central office; foreign institutions; territorial offices; organisations subordinate to the MFA of Russia, which ensures its work on Russian territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is guided by the Constitution, federal constitutional laws, federal laws, acts of the President and the Government, and international treaties.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is appointed to the post by the President on the proposal of the Prime Minister. The Minister is personally responsible for the implementation of the powers entrusted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the implementation of state policy in the relevant area of work. The Minister has deputies, also appointed by the President.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the head of the Foreign Ministry. The Minister represents Russia in bilateral and multilateral negotiations and signs international treaties; divides responsibilities between his deputies and the Director-General; approves regulations for the structural subdivisions of the central apparatus; and appoints senior officials from the central apparatus, foreign agencies and territorial bodies.
The Permanent Mission of Russia to the United Nations is one of the most important foreign offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Permanent Mission conducts negotiations on behalf of the Russian Federation on the most important problems of international relations. The Representative Office is headed by the Permanent Representative appointed by the President on the proposal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Permanent Representative represents Russia in all UN structures, including meetings of the Security Council. In special cases, the Minister for Foreign Affairs himself may take his place.
In terms of the number of staff, the Russian mission is one of the largest at the UN. There is even a secondary school with a profound study of English.
See also: List of Russian foreign ministers.
See also: List of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia overseas schools. The ministry operates a network of overseas schools for children of Russian diplomats.[8]
In connection with the Moscow building that houses the Ministry's main office: