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Steven Seagal appointed by Russian foreign ministry as envoy for humanitarian ties with US

The Russian foreign ministry has explained that the position is public and is not expected to be paid

© Alexei Druzhinin/TASS

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. Celebrated actor Steven Seagal, who is a Russian citizen, has been appointed as a special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in charge of the Russian-US humanitarian ties, the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote on Facebook.

"Steven Seagal was appointed as the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties," the ministry said. "The task is to facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges, and so on."

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The Russian foreign ministry has explained that the position is public and is not expected to be paid.

"It is the case when people’s diplomacy meets halfway traditional diplomacy," the ministry said. "As for international practice, you can draw a parallel with the functions of United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors."

Born in the United States, actor Steven Seagal was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016. He often comes to Russia, repeatedly expressing his affection for the country.

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