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Welcome to the Russian Cultural Centre (RCC) in Washington!
Celebration 2007 Marked the 200-year Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between Russia and the United States
U.S. and Russia: 200 Years
of Diplomatic Relations
Although Russia and the 19, 1975, history was made
United States have different Highlights of Russian- when Alexei Leonov and
histories, cultures and
RIA NOVOSTI American cooperation
Thomas Stafford shook hands
traditions, they also have in space. A little over 20 years
much in common: vast Russia-U.S. trade has been later Russian-American space
territories and natural growing by nearly 30% a year cooperation was elevated to a
resources, human and since 2004, exceeding $25 bil- new level with the launching
scientific-technical potential. lion in 2006. of the International Space
And the destinies of our two Station.
peoples have crossed many In 2006, U.S. investments in The break up of the USSR
times. Russia increased by nearly and the start of democratic re-
50%. forms in Russia finally re-
ALEXEY ISAKOV
There are now more than 800 moved the ideological barrier
MOSCOW U.S. companies operating in to cooperation between the
Russia. They have created over two countries.
Two hundred years is a long 100,000 jobs. The past few years have seen
time, and over the past two growing cooperation in the
centuries Russian-American Russia is the second largest settlements of complicated in-
relations have undergone buyer of American Boeing 787 ternational and regional con-
many changes, occasionally aircraft after Japan. In turn, the flicts, the solution of energy
becoming seriously strained. Boeing Corporation intends to problems, and making the
But ever since regular contact buy titanium from Russia. world secure from terrorism
began, Russians and Ameri- and organized crime. Bilateral
cans have felt respect and In 2007, the United States is- trade is growing at a brisk
sympathy for each other. sued nearly 20% more visas pace, topping $24.5 billion in
Archive material provides to Russian tourists and busi- 2006. Investments are on the
ample evidence of Russia’s nesspeople, and 30% more rise, and the process is gradu-
friendly stance towards Amer- to students, compared to last ally becoming more mutual.
ica. A letter from Russian For- year. Over 90% of Russian ap- Contacts between people,
eign Minister Alexander Gor- plicants were granted US visas. parliaments, cultural figures,
chakov to the Russian Envoy scientists and students are
to the US, Eduard Stekl, dated broadening. However, the full
July 10, 1861, and endorsed A U.S. soldier examining a Soviet troop’s guard badge during the Allied meeting on the Elbe in 1945 potential of bilateral coopera-
by Russian Emperor Alexan- tion has not been realized yet
der II, read in part: “The Amer- Of late there has been much
ican Union is a nation for San Francisco. Wine connois- et-American cooperation talk about a deterioration in
which the Emperor and the seurs will be familiar with the under that program was Russian-American relations.
whole of Russia feels a very products of the Russian River opened in Fairbanks, Alaska People who make such claims
friendly interest because the Valley in California. in August 2006. The meeting cite differences over a num-
two countries situated at op- Many Americans know the of the Soviet and American ber of international problems.
posite ends of the Earth were names of Russians who troops on the River Elbe near We believe that it is wrong to
naturally called in the preced-
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS USA
chalked up outstanding the German town of Torgau in place emphasis on differenc-
ing period in their develop-
SERGEY PYATAKOV_RIA NOVOSTI
achievements in various April 1945 represents proba- es, which naturally occur be-
ment to a solidarity of inter- fields. They include aviation bly the greatest triumph in the tween sovereign states. Both
ests and sympathy, of which pioneer Valery Chkalov, who history of our bilateral rela- Russia and the U.S. have
they have already provided 70 years ago accomplished tions. Half a century later, a their national interests, which
mutual proof.” the first ever non-stop flight memorial plaque was erected do not always coincide. The
Historical documents attest to from Moscow to the U.S. over at the Arlington National Cem- important thing is that the two
the fact that contacts between the North Pole, and numerous etery near Washington, D.C. countries should overcome
our peoples had existed long Russians who lived and to commemorate that event. their differences in a construc-
before the formation of the worked in America: the fa- War veterans place flowers tive way, taking into account
United States and the estab- mous poet Vladimir Maya- there every year. their respective legitimate in-
lishment of official diplomatic kovsky, writer Iosif Brodsky, Unfortunately, following the terests and proceeding on
relations. Some little-known ballet dancer Mikhail Barysh- victory in WWII, the wartime the basis of mutual respect
facts: in 1698 the Russian nikov, artist Mikhail Shemya- alliance deteriorated into ide- and equality.
Tsar Peter the Great met Wil- kin, composer Igor Stravin- ological confrontation and a A series of events is being
liam Penn, the founder of the sky, helicopter designer Igor debilitating arms race, which held to mark the 200th anni-
colony of Pennsylvania, in Russian Emperor Alexander I and US President Thomas Jefferson laid the foundation of bilateral diplo- Sikorsky, and many others. brought the U.S. and the versary of the establishment
London. And one of the fa- matic relations Over the years, the two coun- USSR to the brink of catastro- of diplomatic relations be-
thers of the American Navy, tries have made terrific ad- phe during the Cuban crisis of tween Russia and the U.S.
national hero John Paul vances and encountered seri- 1962. Some have already been
Jones, was a Rear Admiral in 1807 through intensive corre- tain the Russian reply, direct- ment of America’s Pacific ous obstacles. Our relations The dangers of such confron- held, including one seminar
the Russian Navy and fought spondence between the Rus- ing Alopeus to convey to the Coast. The strait that sepa- have indeed gone through tation prompted a rethink in sponsored by the Russian
alongside the great Russian sian special envoy to London, American side the consent of rates Asia from America is ups and downs. both countries in the late Academy of Sciences’ Global
military commander Alexan- Maksim Alopeus, and the For- Emperor Alexander I. named after Vitus Bering, a There were periods when dip- 1960s and early 1970s, which History Institute in Moscow
der Suvorov. eign Minister Andrei Budberg, Two years later the first official Russian navigator, who dis- lomatic relations were sev- marked the start of détente. A and another organized by the
At a critical point in the Ameri- on the one side, and the representatives of Russia and covered it. In 1812, the first ered. It took the U.S. 16 years number of key bilateral and in- U.S. State Department on So-
can colonies’ struggle for in- American envoys to London, the U.S. were appointed – An- Russian settlement in Califor- to recognize the Soviet Union ternational agreements on viet-American relations in the
dependence from the British James Monroe and William drei Dashkov and John Quin- nia was founded. In 1867, the after the October Revolution. disarmament, non-prolifera- years of détente (this confer-
crown, Russia – one of the Pinckney, and U.S. Secretary cy Adams, later elected as the U.S. acquired a slice of Rus- In spite of the serious ideolog- tion of weapons of mass de- ence, incidentally, saw the
biggest absolute monarchies of State (later President) sixth president of the United sia by purchasing what was to ical and political differences of struction and arms reductions launch of a collection of docu-
in Europe – extended a help- James Madison on the other. States. become the 49th state, Alas- the time, the threat of Nazism were signed. ments on bilateral relations
ing hand when Empress Cath- A report by Alopeus on Sep- From the beginning, Russian- ka, together with the Aleutian instantly turned us into allies The new conditions opened from the period published
erine II declined the British tember 13, 1807, details a American relations covered Archipelago and several is- during the Second World War. up opportunities for coopera- jointly by the Russian Foreign
King’s request to send a Rus- conversation in which Monroe various spheres of activity: lands in the Pacific. To this Those years saw brotherhood tion in many areas. One of the Ministry and the U.S. State
sian military contingent to conveyed the wish of Presi- trade, culture, the arts and day, many districts and com- in arms on the battlefields and most important achievements Department), and meetings of
suppress the uprising. As dent Thomas Jefferson to es- geographical exploration. munities in the United States American supplies of military was the development of mu- the ambassadors of the two
seen from the Empress’s per- tablish official diplomatic rela- One has to mention the nota- have Russian names, includ- equipment, weapons and tually beneficial ties in space countries.
sonal correspondence, she tions between the two ble contribution Russian pio- ing the prestigious residential food under the Lend-Lease exploration, crowned with the An exhibition called “Art in
had predicted victory for the countries. Archives also con- neers made to the develop- area called Russian Hill in program. A memorial to Sovi- Soyuz-Apollo project. On July America: Three Hundred
young republic in its fight for Years of Innovation” was
independence, and wished it staged at the Pushkin Fine
success. The ideas of a new Arts Museum in Moscow, a
North American state struck a roundtable on space coopera-
ITAR-TASS
chord with the Russian elite,
RIA NOVOSTI
tion was held in Washington,
as they were consonant with and the Bolshoi Theatre
the aspirations of a develop- toured the United States.
ing Russia. Russia’s policy of The 200th anniversary of dip-
armed neutrality, declared in lomatic relations between
1780, was a concrete contri- Russia and the U.S. is a good
bution to the emergence of opportunity to take a critical
the United States. look at the lessons of the past,
That was by no means the and to draw the necessary
only instance of Russian sup- conclusions for the future.
port. During the American One thing is clear: there is no
Civil War of 1861-1865, Rus- sensible alternative to the fos-
sia backed the Lincoln admin- tering of sound partner rela-
istration in its fight for the unity tions between our countries
of the nation and the abolition and peoples. Russia and the
of slavery. Emperor Alexan- United States have a vast po-
der II sent two military squad- tential for cooperation.
rons to the American shores It is important to make good
to preempt the possible inter- use of it.
-
ventions of Britain or France
against the North. Space crews of the Soyuz-Apollo project in 1975: Soviet cosmonauts Alexey Isakov is Head of Divi-
Diplomatic relations between Alexei Leonov, Hero of the Soviet Union, captain of the Soyuz-19 space- sion, Department of North
Russia and the US were for- craft, right in the back row, and Valery Kubasov, Hero of the Soviet Union, America, Ministry of Foreign
malized during a period of Soyuz-19 engineer, right in the front row, with astronauts Tom Stafford, Affairs of the Russian Federa-
several months at the end of Deke Stayton and Vance Brand tion.
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