Dream Island

Mikhail Kamynin returned to Cuba

Today, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, 51-year-old Mikhail Kamynin (pictured), began work in Cuba. Freedom Island is well known to the new ambassador - in 1999-2002 he served there as minister-counselor of the Russian embassy. Mr. Kamynin replaced veteran diplomatic service Andrei Dmitriev, who wished to retire.

Since 2005, Mikhail Kamynin has been the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the director of the Department of Information and Press (DIP) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a member of the Union of Journalists of Russia and a graduate of the Faculty of International Journalism, he always understood the hardships of journalists. Invariably open, correct and friendly, with a humorous attitude towards the “boundless journalistic curiosity”, he responded to requests from journalists even when in the excitement they forgot about the difference in time zones.

Concluding his work as an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mr. Kamynin yesterday addressed the Russian media with “words of sincere gratitude for the invaluable support and understanding.” “Constructive interaction between the media community and the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a key element in comprehensive and objective coverage of the activities of the foreign policy department, the only one that can ensure timely information to the Russian and world public about the domestic and foreign policy of our state, to achieve its correct, unbiased perception,” said the diplomat.

Mr. Kamynin is a career diplomat who entered the diplomatic path back in 1978 after graduating with honors from MGIMO University of the USSR Foreign Ministry. He speaks excellent English, Spanish and Portuguese. His track record includes work at the USSR Embassy in Mexico in 1978-1982 and 1987-1991, and at the Russian Embassy in Spain from 1992 to 1997. Later, in 2002-2005, Mikhail Kamynin became the Russian Ambassador to Spain and part-time to Andorra, as well as the representative of Russia to the World Tourism Organization. He is an honorary professor at the Spanish Society of International Studies. For his services in the development of Russian-Spanish relations, Mr. Kamynin was awarded one of the highest Spanish orders - the Golden Cross "For Civil Merit" on a satin blue ribbon.

In the central office of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Kamynin in 1991-1992 held the positions of press secretary and head of the press secretariat of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 1997 to 1999, he worked as deputy director of the DIP of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and in 2002 he became deputy director of the 1st European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The friendly Kamynin couple has a son and a daughter, as well as everyone’s favorite two-year-old granddaughter Veronica. In the future, grandfather would like to share his hobbies of tennis and cycling with her. In the meantime, as Mr. Kamynin himself assured the Vremya Novostei newspaper, he will continue in Cuba the cycling tradition established in Spain - he will cover the six-kilometer path from the residence to the embassy on weekends on a bicycle.

Katerina LABETSKAYA