A new tradition is emerging in the memoir literature of our country. It is connected with the appearance of books written by a generation of Soviet-era diplomats. Recently, the diplomatic memoir library was replenished with a bright, rich in historical facts book by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Abdurakhman Khalilovich Vezirov (A. Kh. Vezirov. My Diplomatic Service, Moscow, Khudozhestvennaya literatura Publ., 2009).

The author, who has the experience of a major statesman, examines important milestones of the USSR's policy in Asia, shows how this policy was implemented in the conditions of the long cold war and the confrontation between the two great powers, and analyzes the consequences of these processes for the destinies of the peoples of the post-colonial world.

A. Vezirov represented the interests of the Soviet Union in Pakistan. His diplomatic activity came at the most acute period of military and political tension in South Asia. Pakistan was the central link in the implementation of the Western strategy aimed at weakening the Soviet position in this region. The Soviet Union, in turn, sought to solve its strategic tasks by using a limited contingent of armed forces in Afghanistan. By and large, it was here, in this region, that one of the main "battles" of the West and East for spheres of influence took place. What could then be more difficult than the tasks that the Soviet ambassadors in Afghanistan and Pakistan solved on the diplomatic front? Tabeev and A. Vezirov? In his book, the Soviet ambassador to Islamabad tells a fascinating story about how this really happened.

The author also tells about the years of his diplomatic work in India, when he was Consul General of the USSR in Calcutta. The story is told with great sympathy for India, for the ancient history of the country, which was one of the cradles of civilization. A. Vezirov very appropriately made the epigraph of this chapter the words of D. R. Kipling: "Calcutta is terrible, but it is beautiful."

The scale of our country's economic and technical cooperation with India in those years, especially in metallurgy and energy, was enormous. Thousands of Soviet specialists provided technical assistance in creating the industrial power of a friendly state. Drawing on his rich managerial experience, A. Vezirov created a creative atmosphere of high mutual understanding and close cooperation in the team of Soviet specialists - without it, it would have been impossible to achieve success.

Of particular interest are the pages of the book dedicated to Nepal, where A. Vezirov represented the USSR with the rank of ambassador. It was he who discovered this small Asian country for Soviet Orientalists. He also helped Russian mountaineers to create trails in the Nepalese Himalayas, which led to the appearance of numerous world records.

So, the author has created a fascinating and convincing story about the years of his diplomatic activity. This is a real contribution to the annals of Russian diplomacy. The book will arouse great interest among diplomats and the current generation of Russian Orientalists.

A. S. Dzasokhov, Doctor of Political Sciences

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