Diplomats' Day

February 10 is the national Diplomats' Day in Russia. The day before this professional holiday, the Consul General of the USA in St. Petersburg Mr. Thomas Leary discussed public diplomacy with students of HSE St. Petersburg International Business minor.

As a guest lecturer Consul General T. Leary provided a short overview of the history of public diplomacy and talked about what constitutes good public diplomacy, emphasizing the importance of credibility. The Consul General also described working as a public affairs officer in several countries, including Russia where he served as the public affairs officer in St. Petersburg and press attaché in Moscow.

HSE University - St. Petersburg puts lot of effort into expanding personal horizons and adding professional value for its students and graduates by inviting international guest speakers from business, academia and public service who share their real professional experience with HSE students. 

The national Diplomats' Day was first established in 2002 by a decree of the President of Russia. The very first reference of the first Russian Foreign Service is dated February 10, 1549. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established in 1802 by the Emperor Alexander I. At present, Russia maintains diplomatic relations with around 200 countries and operates more than 140 embassies, 12 representative oOffices at various international organizations, 74 consulates general and 4 consulates worldwide. More than 3300 professionals work at the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.