The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

do.”“I have no doubt that we will succeed in this work if the Soviet Union will provide us withthe necessary assistance,” responded Amin. Then he continued, “You know, Comrade Ruslan, Iwould very much like to meet with you personally, so that we can talk about the work of the SovietCultural Center in detail. By the way, you speak our language very well, and I think you are awonderful person. Come to my office. Let’s meet. Please call the number that I left for yourambassador and I will send a car to pick you up right away.”With these words, Amin hung up.Ruslan Budrin immediately contacted the second secretary of the embassy, DmitryRurikov. Dmitry came to the service building of the embassy without delay. Ruslan told him aboutAmin’s call and their conversation. Then Budrin and Rurikov played chess in the foyer of theembassy into the evening. They were waiting for the ambassador’s return.“I don’t understand how the minister of foreign affairs can be calling personally on a cityline to a foreign embassy and engage in a conversation with a staff member of a cultural center. Inaddition, he was interested in my opinion of their revolution and invited me to visit him!”ruminated Budrin. “You tell me, Dima, would Gromyko call some foreign embassy this way andstart talking with some person, who does not even have diplomatic status? I don’t think this wouldbe possible!”“You know, Ruslan, these Afghan leaders are not yet corrupted by political positions andthe complexities of protocol. They know nothing about the status scale or protocol. They don’tcare whom they’re talking to as long as they achieve their goal. These are not the same sorts ofpeople that you see here at this embassy or in high offices in Moscow. Call Amin tomorrow. Forsure, he will send a car here and he will meet with you. And for as long as it takes, he will be158