MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Diplomats will continue using videoconferencing technologies in their work even after the current novel coronavirus pandemic is over, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy told the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"The profession of a diplomat has acquired, I would say, an additional dimension, with additional skills required. Zoom diplomacy has become an element, which, probably, will be hard to get rid of completely. It used to be something unusual in the past, but now it has become a normal practice," he said.
According to Polyanskiy, this format has several major advantages, allowing not only to save funds, but also to ensure wider participation in various diplomatic events.
"Digital diplomacy helped us to take Crimean and Donbass representatives to the UN rostrum. I doubt that the US side would ever issue visas to them, although it is obliged to do so under the host country agreement," he said, mentioning the recent Arria-formula UN Security Council meeting on Crimea.
However, the diplomat said that although many diplomats use Zoom to exchange views, this format is not particularly suitable for a serious dialogue.
"Many countries refrain from frank statements and discussions. <...> The in-person format is still in place for some truly serious conversations, for discussions on non-public issues that must be discussed in secrecy," he said.
"But, frankly speaking, I want this [pandemic] period to be over as soon as possible, so that everything is back to normal," the Russian diplomat added.