The paper presents result of a modest-scale research into the problem of learners’ cultural unawareness about cultures of the East countries suffering the conflicts of global importance within the context of wider “West-East” cultural divide in ESP for International Relations. Different aspects of the problem are studied through an attempt to assess students’ knowledge of the elementary cultural phenomena of general, political and specific interest. The research was conducted to analyze the problem that came to light in the ESP classroom which was aimed to develop speaking skills as an objective within the major teaching/learning goal of preparing for professional communication.