On the picture H.E. Mr. Alexander V. Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Netherlands .
By Elena Ratnikova.
With the participation of the Russian Embassy in The Hague, the Russian community has successfully organized the 12th conference “Council of the Russian Community in the Netherlands”, which took place at the Crown Plaza Hotel in The Hague on December 2nd.
H.E. Mr. Alexander V. Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons addressed an official opening speech. He extended his gratitude to the attendees, representatives from every sector of the Russian diaspora in the Netherlands, filling up the room at its full capacity.
Ambassador Shulgin talked about the importance for his community to share the Russian language and culture, to establish new business partnerships and support the efforts of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Netherlands. He also presented a certificate of merit to several members of the community.
Diplomat Magazine´s Publisher Dr. Mayelinne de Lara, took the floor to congratulate the Russian community and ambassador Shulgin for the very well attended and positive results of the Conference.
Mr. Andrei Makarov, Russian Trade Representative in the Netherlands who provides a communication platform to develop business interaction with his country, introduced his theme with very interesting figures. It was mentioned that the Netherlands is Russia´s third world trade partner, as well as the second investor in the Russian economy.
Vera Bunina, director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture of Belgium invited the guests to visit the programs “New Generation”, “Leaders of Russia” and “Russia Study”.
The head of Council of the Russian community in the Netherlands, Kristina von Schmid, presented a report on the work of the Council during the last two years.
The Very Reverend Archimandrite Nikon talked about the important role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Netherlands. Russian language teacher at The Hague University of Applied Sciences Mrs Julia Essenberg referred about the facilities offered by her institution to learn Russian. During the pause-café, the String Quartet named after S.V. Rachmaninov from Sochi performed wonderful classical music.
The First Secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Netherlands Yuri Uraksin, presented an overview of the embassy´s events and extended his gratitude to the attendees, participants and coordinators, especially to artists, musicians, painters, young students and many other people involved.
Members of the Russian Community directly expressed to Diplomat Magazine on the importance of organizing such events, “it enhances the unity of our community, promotes positive relations with the Russian Embassy and the protection of the Russian culture at the international level.”
