Izvestia: “Russian culture under the Eiffel Tower”
Two French political leaders are looking forward to Vladimir Putin's visit in Paris.
On June 10, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will go to Paris on a state visit. The prime minister plans to conduct discussions with the leaders of France and also take part in a cultural event - the Year of Russia in France. On June 11, Putin with François Fillon will open the Russian national exhibition, which is scheduled to last five days.
As the Russian Ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov, said to Izvestia, there hasn't been a Russian exposition of such magnitude in France in fifty years. Russian technology giants Roscosmos and Rostechnologii will participate in this cultural, scientific and industrial exhibition. Fifteen of Russia's regions and cities will also take part: Moscow, St Petersburg, Tatarstan, Dagestan, Chuvashia, Chechnya and Kaliningradskaya oblast.
Every region will demonstrate its cultural advantages under the roof of the Great Palace (Grand Palais), which is near the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. One of the exhibits of the exposition is a bronze sculpture entitled "Four musketeers" by a holder of the Legion of Honour, Zurab Tsereteli. Visitors are sure to be impressed.
Events sponsored by the Year of Russia have been very popular in France. About 150 performances were visited by over 1.5 million people. Interestingly, tickets to the Great Palace, which was built more than 100 years ago, will not be sold. Russia has arranged cost free performances for its French guests.
After crossing the threshold of the Great Palace, visitors will see a skating-rink. St Petersburg's ballet company will perform the classics: "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, "Romeo and Juliet" and "Cinderella" by Prokofiev. An exclusive performance will be devoted to the centenary of Diaghilev's seasons. These will be exciting performances for everyone. Russia's Mirax Group will construct large models of two of Frances tallest skyscrapers to be displayed in the business district of Paris La Défense.
Vladimir Putin's itinerary starts on June 10 in the evening: the Russian prime minister will hold discussions with his French counterpart, François Fillon, within the format of an Intergovernmental Commission. France has expressed interest in Russia's technology initiatives for sometime. This bilateral cooperation could become reality with various joint projects including the Nord and South Stream pipelines, space exploration and the sale of the aircraft carrier "Mistral."
On June 11, Putin will visit two French presidents in one day. In the morning at the Hotel Bristol, Putin will get a visit from his old friend Jacques Chirac. Than at the Élysée Palace he will meet incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy, who was unable to visit Moscow on May 9. This will be their first meeting in some time. They have much to discuss as France will take over the leadership of the G8 and G20. The global financial crisis isn't over yet and Paris and Moscow can cooperate in efforts to overcome the consequences. Most certainly the conversation will include such issues as Europe's security, the Iranian nuclear program and the situation in the Middle East.
After Putin leaves the Great Palace, the Russian festivities will proceed to the Champ de Mars, straight under Eiffel Tower. Initially, the idea was to start the festivities on the evening of June 11, but the French have their first World Cup football match against Uruguay on the 11th and the whole country will be sitting in front of TV-sets. Thus, the Russian Festival will be postponed until the 12th. One of the special guests will be Mireille Mathieu and the French will see some of the best performers from Russia: the Pyatnitsky Choir and the ensemble of Moiseyev, the Koryak dancers from "Mango" and the Chechen horsemen from "Vainakh."
Oleg Shevtsov
