MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/: Russian diplomats aided the efforts of the First Russian Antarctic Expedition (1819-1821) under the direction of Fabian Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, which proved the existence of Antarctica, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview for the documentary "Antarctica: 200 years of peace," published on the ministry’s website.
The Russian foreign minister stressed that Bellingshausen and Lazarev first confirmed that the Antarctic is a continent. "The English, the Americans followed in their footsteps, however, they [Bellingshausen and Lazarev] were the first to prove that this is a continent, and not just a cluster of ice," Lavrov added.
"By the way, this expedition was aided by diplomats in many ways. Our ambassadors and consul generals were tasked with supporting the expedition, providing the researchers with food and various equipment - binoculars, spyglass, and many other things," the minister stated. "Of course, the fact that the expedition took place without incident - no one died, no one contracted scurvy, as feared at the time - was in many ways due to the efforts taken by the Russian government, including Russian diplomatic missions, to aid these people during their endeavor."
Lavrov expressed his admiration for Bellingshausen and Lazarev, who completed the expedition successfully 200 years ago.
Lavrov noted that the research of the Antarctic improves the image of Russia in the world. "This directly benefits diplomacy, as it lets us share our experience, demonstrate the achievements of our people and improve the image of Russian in the world. The same happens when everything goes well with our economy and science, it is easier to "build" foreign policy," he said.
