The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; , МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with leading the foreign policy and foreign relations of Russia. It is a continuation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which was under the supervision of the Soviet Ministry of External Relations. Sergei Lavrov is the current foreign minister. Structure of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The structure of the Russian MFA central office includes divisions, which are referred to as departments. Departments are divided into sections. Russian MFA Departments are headed by Directors and their sections by Heads. According to Presidential Decree 1163 of September 11, 2007, the Ministry is divided into 39 departments. Departments are divided into territorial (relations between Russia and foreign countries, grouped according to conventional regions) and functional (according to assigned functions). Each department employs 30-60 diplomats. In addition, there are four divisions under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia: the Main Production and Commercial Department for servicing the diplomatic staff under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the Foreign Ministry College and the Russian Center for International Scientific and Cultural Cooperation. Outside the departmental structure, there are Ambassadors for special assignments, each responsible for a particular issue of international relations (for example, the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement). The ambassadors for special assignments report directly to the deputy ministers. Functioning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a federal executive authority responsible for the development and implementation of state policy and normative-legal regulation in the field of international relations of the Russian Federation The President of the Russian Federation is the head of the Foreign Ministry. The main function of the ministry is to develop an overall foreign policy strategy, submit relevant proposals to the President and implement the foreign policy course. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates directly and through diplomatic representations and consular offices of the Russian Federation, representations of the Russian Federation to international organisations, and territorial offices of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the territory of Russia. The MFA system includes the central office; foreign institutions; territorial offices; organisations subordinate to the MFA of Russia, which ensures its work on Russian territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is