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  • Poland's Ambassador: Diplomat must never lie even to the benefit of

    Poland's Ambassador to Armenia: Diplomat must never lie even to the
    benefit of his country


    http://news.am/eng/news/133979.html
    December 29, 2012 | 10:00

    By Anna Ghazaryan

    YEREVAN.- Armenian News - NEWS.am continues a series of interviews
    with diplomats working in Armenia. This time our interlocutor is
    Polish Ambassador to Armenia Zdzislaw Raczynski. He spoke about his
    vision of diplomacy, the things he is missing Armenia and Christmas
    traditions in his country.

    Which are character traits the diplomat must have? Can a person become
    a diplomat or must he have certain characteristics?

    In the past, diplomacy was a profession that was inherited, profession
    for people of a certain social circle. First of all, the profession
    demands respect for the other people and the ability to empathize. The
    poor lived in difficult conditions thus it was difficult to develop
    these qualities. Now we live in a democratic world, with equal
    opportunities. So diplomacy has become more accessible, but the very
    nature of the profession has not changed. There is a widespread belief
    that the diplomat is a person who lies for the benefit of his country.
    It is not so. Nowadays, diplomat's main task is to convey his
    country's view to the government and society of the country he is
    working in. Then, he must understand what is happening in this country
    and transfer information to his government. There is a lot of
    information, so the ambassador's task is to analyze and collect the
    most useful information.

    Mass media and the politicians themselves are using such terms as
    `soft' or `tough' diplomacy. Do you think that in diplomacy, the end
    justifies the means?

    No, because the goals may change. A person is behind adoption of
    certain measures. What will happen with him when the target is
    changed? A person can not be an instrument of something, a person
    himself is the goal. As for foreign policy, it is not realized only by
    diplomatic means, there are economic and military measures. It can be
    done in different ways. The essence of European politics is finding a
    compromise. It is impossible to agree on something if there are
    different opinions. You need to exchange views and find the point at
    which you can meet. History has taught Europe that military means lead
    to regress. Another thing is that a compromise is within certain
    limits, it is necessary to comply with the rules. It is impossible to
    reach a compromise with a dictator who is killing, for example, 10
    people a day. You can not come to a point that he can kill only 5. In
    this case, a tough policy is justified.

    There are questions that you do not like to answer?

    Those related to my personal life. `My home is my castle' as the
    English saying goes. It is one of the features of European culture. A
    person has the right of having his personal space, neither the husband
    nor the lover, daughter have the right to break it. Protecting your
    space, you also take over a commitment not to interfere with someone
    else's life.

    What are you missing being out of Poland?

    I miss bookstores. On Saturday I love to walk in the streets, seat in
    calm cafes, chat with friends or buy something. Warsaw is very
    friendly. There is a lot of green space in the city. I miss the green.
    Poland is a flat country. In Armenia you live surrounded by mountains,
    you look into the distance and you can not move eyes on. Our plains
    stretch for miles. Everyone loves the place where he was born and
    where he grew up.

    What do you do at Christmas? Do you have any family traditions?

    The biggest holiday of the year we have is a Christmas Eve, December
    24. On this day, all the family members try to get to the parents. All
    sit down at the table, as soon as the first star appears in the sky.
    Table must be covered with a white cloth. Straw is put under the
    tablecloth.

    There must be 12 lenten dishes. You must put an extra set for those
    who are alone this evening. Any person, if he is alone, can enter and
    enjoy the meal. The supper begins with breaking of oplatek, a
    Christmas wafer.A traditional meal includes fish, a beetroot soup with
    small ravioli with mushroom filling. Then, family members sing
    Christmas songs, give presents and then go to a church for service.

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