The intentions of Senator Tovar on Ves couldn't be more clear. He needed to learn to get along with Vesian nobles and officials.
That didn't necessarily mean that Ves needed to take on a Vesian coat and buy into their values and beliefs. He had to maintain hold of his Brighter identity even as he somehow made nice with the Vesian envoys and attaché.
"Easier said than done." Ves said when Secretary Lowe left his cabin after passing on his message.
Ves benefited a lot from the diplomatic aide's insight. He learned how to cope with Vesian manipulation and distortion.
Simply said, Ves was no diplomat or politician. So why should he get into a substantive debate with those who were? It would be like a farmer talking about mechs to a mech designer. No matter how much the farmer read up by himself, he could never match the sheer amount of knowledge, insight and experience of a formally trained mech designer!