Monaco Week in Moscow – Overview

Published on 17 October 2016 at 12:00 - Modified the 25 July 2023 at 03:01

"Monaco Week" took place from 4 to 9 October 2016 in Moscow to celebrate the tenth anniversary of new diplomatic relations between the Principality of Monaco and the Russian Federation.  A number of events and official meetings, initiated and coordinated by the Ambassador of Monaco to Russia, were an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations in many different fields.

Firstly, at the diplomatic level:

On 5 October, Mr. Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, met with Mr. Alexei Meshkov, the Russian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, at a meeting and working lunch held at the residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Various subjects, including developing bilateral relations in the fields of the economy and education, were discussed.  Mr. Tonelli was accompanied by H.E. Ms. Pettiti, Ambassador, Ms. Caruso-Ravera, Director of Diplomatic and Cultural Relations and Mr. Ciarlet, Second Secretary to the Ambassador of Monaco in Russia.

 On 6 October, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince, with the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin, inaugurated the exhibition "Grimaldi and Romanov – Three Centuries of History" at the Tretyakov Gallery.  The two Heads of State then went on to the Kremlin for an audience and a working lunch, where they discussed subjects such as the protection of the environment and international politics.  The Sovereign was accompanied by H.E. Mr. Serge Telle, Minister of State, Mr. Gilles Tonelli and H.E. Ms. Mireille Pettiti.

The exhibition was officially inaugurated several hours later by H.E. Mr. Serge Telle and Ms. Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.  The Minister of State, accompanied by Mr. Gilles Tonelli, then met with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister to discuss bilateral issues, particularly in the areas of education and the economy.

Finally, H.E. Ms. Petitti gave a reception, in the evening, at the State Historical Museum in Moscow, to celebrate the anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.  The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, the Russian President's Special Advisor for International Cultural Cooperation, a large number of foreign Ambassadors accredited to the Russian Federation and other important guests took part in this event.

At the economic level:

On 5 October, a delegation from the Monaco Economic Board, representing thirty or so Monegasque companies, travelled to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, where they attended a series of presentations and took part in Round Tables, at which the businesses could showcase their activity to businesspeople from Moscow;

The next day, Monaco Economic Board held two lectures and a networking lunch at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Moscow for members and economic partners;

For its part, Monaco Tourist and Convention Authority organised a "Destination Monaco" evening to present Monaco to tourism professionals based in the Russian Federation.

Finally, at the scientific level, a cooperation agreement was signed on 7 October between the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Russian Geographical Society, represented by Vice-Presidents H.E. Mr. Bernard Fautrier and Mr. Nicolai Kasimov respectively.