What will the new “Birches” make noise about? What for?

When else did the decision to open two stores cause such a reaction in society? Literally all publications wrote about him.

On August 27, a government decree came into force on the opening in Russia (the first two in Moscow and St. as well as members of the diplomatic staff of diplomatic missions, consular officials and members of their families who live with them, staff (employees, officials) of state missions. (http://government.ru/docs/all/142323/)

Everyone started talking that these would be analogues of the Beryozka stores of the Soviet era. In fact, far from it. The Soviet “Birch”, strange as it sounds now, was to some extent accessible to Soviet citizens. Firstly, our diplomats, employees of embassies who come to their homeland on vacation, could “shop for goods” there. As well as members of their families. They paid with Vneshposyltorg checks received in exchange for foreign currency.

Secondly, they are not the only ones. These checks in Moscow and Leningrad got through the black market to those who certainly wanted to “get” the coveted imports from the capitalist countries. Of course, at speculative prices.

But not now. Now, we repeat, only the following can make purchases in the new duty free stores:

– diplomatic missions, staff, family members;
– consular offices, consular officials, relatives living with them;
– representations of states at international organizations and their employees;
— international organizations or their representative offices located in Russia and their personnel.

Documents will be required at the entrance, names will be “punched” on checks, and information will be submitted to the Foreign Ministry on a monthly basis. (There is nothing more to do there, how to look who bought what and for how much?)

In general, and in any case, the Russians – a complete turn from the gate. Probably, this was one of the reasons for the more or less noticeable discussion.

“I think that employees of diplomatic departments are able to provide for themselves without any preferences that they are trying to create in this way,” said State Duma deputy Oleg Morozov. The authorities must hear the reaction of the people. If this reaction is negative and has a real basis, then it is worth listening to. The fact that people do not understand the motivation behind this decision is a signal.”

Yevgeny Primakov, head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), spoke even sharper: “Now this idea is very risky in terms of reputation: it looks too much like segregation. That would be the first thing to think about.”

That’s even how it is perceived – segregation. Perhaps the negative reaction and harsh assessments are an exaggeration. It would seem, what do we, ordinary citizens, care about two stores serving foreigners?

“Diplomats, when they stay and work abroad, enjoy a special status,” explained Valery Egoshkin, deputy chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats. There are such stores in most countries. For example, in Kenya, where I worked, there were duty free shops for the diplomatic corps, employees of international organizations and the embassy in general. For example, in such stores they bought vodka for events. And we did not need to import it from Moscow, because there were difficulties with the delivery. Everyone was already buying on the spot, including gifts for the holidays.”

Another thing is that Kenya in 2005, when Egoshkin served there, is still not Russia in 2022. Or is there a general shortage? I want to note: the Soviet “Birch” was a great ideological self-sabotage. After all, propaganda kept saying that everything is better with us, and people knew what was sold in Beryozki and dreamed of getting there. And therefore the decision causes not only and not so much a negative reaction as misunderstanding.

What for?

Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, said that duty free could become an additional source of currency for the Russian Federation. State Duma deputy Nikolai Arefiev explained their discovery by the fact that the state needed additional currency, as its inflow decreased due to sanctions. However, he added that the influx of dollars and euros would be “incomparable to oil and gas revenues.”

Indeed, it is somehow even embarrassing to compare the revenue of two stores for a limited circle of people – with foreign exchange flows from the sale of Russia’s raw material wealth. Especially now there is a huge abundance of dollars and euros in the state treasury.

Then why?

“Work on this resolution has been going on for several years,” Vyacheslav Fatin, acting head of the Main Directorate for Servicing the Diplomatic Corps under the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters.

So, for several years they “worked out the issue” …

Sergei Baimukhametov.

Photo by Moskovskaya Pravda