RUSSIA NEEDS ACTIVE ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY

MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti.) Russian ambassadors met at the Russian Foreign Ministry's building in Smolenskaya square. The oldest Russian newspaper Izvestia quotes President Putin's address to the diplomats: "To a large extent, your work determines whether political contacts turn into a functioning mechanism," Russian President Vladimir Putin told them. The meeting was followed by the president's decree to reorganize the structure of the ministry. The nature of the changes was announced after the meeting. The Foreign Minister will have 7 deputies (instead of the current 12), including one first deputy. The concept deviates from the ideal of the administrative reform - no more than two deputies. Each deputy is responsible for some region, which means he is constantly away, otherwise he cannot work and, besides, countries believe the level below deputy minister insufficient for normal talks.

The central staff will be reduced insignificantly, from 3,500 people to 3,028 people.

The objective Putin set for the embassies is for them to take a more active role in economic diplomacy, i.e., to create a favorable investment image for the country. Unprejudiced attitude toward Russia is favorable, the president believes. Thus, the ambassadors should also counteract discrimination on international markets.

Still, the CIS member states remain the top diplomatic priority, Putin confirmed once again, and there can be no talk about discrimination there. He noted that the resources of influence there are still not being used sufficiently and that "there cannot be a vacuum in international relations."

For the first time, Putin recognized active work of other states and international blocs in the former Soviet republics as a failure of Russia's foreign policy, Izvestia noted. "However, what should not be done is to become engaged with sentiments that no one except for Russia has the right to leadership there. It is lulling, disorienting and completely wrongapproach," the newspaper quoted the president as saying.