Стр. 26 - V

Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Author : N. Tavdumadze
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Paraguay
ON MAY 14, 1992, a new democratic Russia and a dem-
ocratic Paraguay, which had recently dismantled its au-
thoritarian regime, put into effect their decision to
restore diplomatic relations. A new era began in the his-
tory of communications of the two countries which are
separated from each other by almost 12,500 km, but nev-
ertheless share a lot of historical events (of which the
Russians became aware only in the past 25 years). During
the turbulent twentieth century, the two nations, so dif-
ferent at the first glance, managed to build an invisible
yet strong communication link between themselves, however unusual this may seem. Real life can be
even more unpredictable and fantastic than any most intricately woven fiction.
The diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Paraguay were first established in 1909, when
Envoy Extraordinary Mavriky Prozor, who had already been representing the interests of the Russian
Crown in Brazil and Argentina, submitted his credentials to President Emiliano Gonzalez Navero of
Paraguay. A kaleidoscope of milestone events, including World War I and Russia's October 1917 Rev-
olution, resulted in the suspension of, and subsequently a full rupture of diplomatic relations between
the two countries, which by that time had already been perfunctory.
Healing the breach between Russia and Paraguay, which has ultimately led to the restoration of diplo-
matic relations, became somewhat easier following a break-up of the Soviet Union and the establishment
of independent post-Soviet states.
During the afore-mentioned challenging period marked by a search for a new identity on both sides, a
humanitarian factor fully revealed its positive role.
As an ambassador, I am deeply satisfied that a comprehensive discovery of the "Russian Paraguay,"
albeit with a major delay amounting to several dozen years, has finally happened.
We can presently note with satisfaction that in the twenty-five years following the signing in Montevideo
of a package of documents on the restoration of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Asuncion,
we have been able, on the basis of joint efforts, to unlock a multifaceted potential of cooperation be-
tween the two nations.
I am convinced that we need to more actively and efficiently use in our relations with Paraguay such
factors as a unique nature of the historic ties between our two nations and Paraguayans' willingness to
promote a dialog with Moscow. Following the twenty-five years after the restoration of diplomatic re-
lations between our two countries, the necessary prerequisites have finally emerged for a higher, qual-
itatively new level of partnership, which assumes a coordinated work on elaborating a list of joint
actions in all areas of cooperation. The importance of building such relations with Paraguay has been
continuously growing for Russia due to the fact that its foreign policy in the region of Latin America
and the Caribbean has been presently undergoing the fine-tuning of all its main accents to appropriately
react to new challenges that have emerged in the region in the past few years.
Russia and Paraguay