Russia renames its Department for Cooperation with Europe to Department of European Problems

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has renamed its Department of European Cooperation (DEC) into the Department of European Problems, the Russian media outlet Kommersant reported.

According to Maria Zakharova, the MFA’s official spokesperson, the renaming followed changes in «geopolitical realities and the necessity for the agency to adjust itself to those changes» as well as due to the «obvious degradation of European structures for multilateral cooperation.»

She told RBK, another Russian media outlet, that the department will continue to supervise issues related to international organizations in Europe such as the OCSE, the Council of Europe, the EU, and NATO.

Russian relations with some countries and international organizations in Europe have deteriorated after Russia invaded Ukraine. Currently, Moscow views EU member states as unfriendly and NATO as a hostile alliance. In 2022, the country left the Council of Europe.

Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov later announced that his agency has been expanding relations with the global South and East against the backdrop of «new geopolitical conditions.»