Russian-New Zealand diplomatic ties 60 years on.

• Author: Goff, Phil
• Position: Editorial

In 1944, New Zealand and Russia were fighting a common foe. Russia was suffering a period of immense upheaval and sacrifice, losing 20 million citizens in the conflict, more than all other countries combined. Our wartime alliance and our awareness of Russia's emerging significance as a world power led New Zealand to establish a legation in Moscow on 13 April 1944.

The Second World War laid a foundation of goodwill between our countries. In particular several hundred New Zealand servicemen endured the appalling conditions and risks as part of the Arctic convoys bringing vital supplies to the Soviet Union at the height of the war. The ties that were forged during those times, as New Zealand and Russia worked together as allies, remain as an enduring symbol of co-operation between our countries today.

Despite the wartime connection, the establishment of a New Zealand legation in Moscow was controversial from early on. As the Cold War got under way, the relationship quickly became more strained and distant. By the end of 1949, the newly elected National government had taken the decision to close the legation for political and fiscal reasons. International political events such as the Soviet invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia subsequently discouraged New Zealand from re-forging ties.

In 1973 the Kirk government re-opened links, establishing an embassy in Moscow. Kirk reasoned first of all that the Soviet Union was a world power whose views had to be taken into consideration on any major international question. He also saw Russia as an increasingly active participant in Asian "affairs. At the same time, it was beginning to take an interest in the South Pacific--both areas of importance to New Zealand. The interaction of our two governments reflected the dynamics of that political era. The emphasis was on containment, not co-operation.

The relationship continued to be difficult even after the re-opening of the mission in Moscow. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979 provoked a new level of suspicion and coolness in the relationship. In the same year relations reached a low point when the government declared the Soviet Ambassador to New Zealand, V.N. Sofinsky, persona non grata on the grounds of political activities, supporting the Socialist Unity Party, incompatible with his diplomatic status, and asked him to leave the country. In the time-honoured form, the Soviet Union then required New Zealand Ambassador James Weir to leave...