When people come to St. Petersburg they hope to have a good time here. Basically, many people succeed. It’s simply impossible not to fall in love with this place. Here beautiful architecture, pleasant weather and many attractions. There really is a lot to see here.

Some tourists come here for leisure, while others come here for work. Whatever the purpose of the trip, everyone will be able to take something interesting with them from this place.

People fly to the airport from different parts of the world. And each of them has their own desires and needs. But they all hope for a warm welcome, help and reception. And all this can be provided to them.

When a foreign delegation arrives in this city, they should first be greeted by people who know their language well. You can order similar services on the website https://MBPrestige.ru/. There is also interesting information about this theme. The services mainly consist of the following list:

• meeting with guests;
• providing translation;
• transfer them to the hotel;
• assistance in case of controversial issues;
• as well as entertaining guests and guaranteeing them an interesting pastime.

Basically, today many people speak English and other languages ​​well and are able to provide assistance to guests. In principle, in order to meet foreigners, most often, only good knowledge will be enough in English. But, if people do not know it, then they will need knowledge of additional languages.

It is best to use the services in advance. In this case, you can be absolutely sure that the guests will find an accompanying person and get to the hotel without any problems. If you leave everything until the last minute, it is quite possible that many unforeseen situations will arise.

Also, to avoid any troubles, it is best to greet guests with a sign. It should contain the name of the company or some designations understandable to foreigners. Today, it is thanks to people with signs that many people easily find the information they need and get to the right place.

Business visits to friendly companies and firms are a common occurrence when partners or clients are in different cities or countries. You can agree on a lot of things over the phone and by email. But personal contact is given special importance. Reception of the client/partner at the airport/train station is important. It is from this meeting that any business visit begins.

Not long ago, one of our good friends experienced such a force majeure situation at work. A full-time translator has fallen ill, and tomorrow foreign partners are arriving, who need to be met at the airport with a sign, taken to the hotel, helped with accommodation, and shown around Moscow a little in the evening. The company's leaders were on edge, the entire department was in panic and bustle. Of course, we helped a friend, because... For knowledgeable people there is nothing super complicated about it. So if you, dear greeters, need to meet your dear foreign guests and make a good impression on them, we invite you to use our services. Of course, as creative people we know how to work impromptu, but before the meeting we would like to clarify the following points:

What kind of people are these
- the purpose of their visit
- budget
- stay program agreed upon by the parties
- wishes of the customer.

We look forward to your guests! And just in case, we post small phrases and expressions if you still have to meet guests yourself.

1. Meeting a foreign partner at the train station / airport

Upon arrival at the site, guests are greeted by one of the authorized employees of the company, but not by management. The conversation comes down to phrases like: “How did you get there?” In the office, management personnel who are directly involved in this meeting join in the communication. Here the list of topics for conversation is quite wide.

The host	Guest
You see a guest who has arrived at your place, greet him and at the same time introduce yourself: "Mr. Princeton? Welcome to Moscow. My name is Peter Timurov. I"m Mr. Brown`s personal assistant. I"ll show you around the town and take you to the hotel / our office..."	You answer: "Thank you, Mr. Timurov. I appreciate your help"…
Next, you ask the guest routine everyday questions. Kit questions may vary, but there are still a few constant topics."How was the flight / journey?" "I hope you had a good flight?" "Did you have a good flight trip journey?""Is it your first time in Moscow?" "Is it your first visit to Moscow?" If your interlocutor mentioned something, related to your city, country..., you can ask him a few additional questions to create casual conversation: “Mm, restaurants? So you like Russian cuisine. What is your favorite meal?”…	You answer questions asked of you with “politeness.” As a rule, in this In case of similar questions, you do not ask the accompanying party."It was fine / nice / OK...Thank you" "The flight / journey wasn't good actually, because (give the reason)." "Unfortunately,..." If the answer is positive or negative, you must say something else about the place they are asking you about."Yes, it"s my first visit to Moscow. I "ve never been here before but have always wanted to. I heard a lot of interesting things about your city..." "No, I was here two years ago. I remember visiting The Kremlin, very beautiful."
It would also be quite appropriate to ask: “How long are you staying in Moscow?”, “How long are you here for?” There is also such a routine question: “Do you travel a lot on business?” “What countries have you visited?” “Do you enjoy travelling?”	"Just for a few days"… "It depends on how quickly I settle the business matters with your company." "No, not very often. I usually travel on holidays. Last winter I was in ..."

2. Visit of a foreign partner to the office

In the office, the foreign guest communicates with the office staff and with the official who will conduct business negotiations. An informal acquaintance conversation may include those phrases that the guest has already exchanged at the airport/train station.

Office/company workers	Guest
Your guest apparently came to you from the hotel, so the appropriate question would be: “Is your hotel comfortable?”, “Is everything with your hotel OK?”	"Yes, the hotel is fine"…
If your guest has not been to your city for the first time or for a long time, then you can ask him: “How do you like it here in Moscow?”	"Your city has changed so much since I visited it 7 years ago. It has become so European" …
The guest will be pleased if the owner of the office inquires about the affairs of his hometown: “How are things in London?”
And if the host and the guest have a very friendly relationship, then you can exchange questions with him about the family: “How is your family?”, “How are the kids?”…	"The family is fine, thank you..."
Other possible questions with polite offers of readiness to provide some service to the guest: "Can I take your coat / get you a drink?..." "Do you need anything?" "If you need to… use a phone or fax? Please say" "Can we do anything for you?"	Other possible guest requests: "There is one thing I need..." "Could you get me..." "Would you be so kind to reserve me a table in Metropol?..." "Could you help me to arrange..." "Can you recommend me a good restaurant?"

Translators who do not have extensive experience in interpreting often encounter problems of a completely non-linguistic nature. One of these difficulties is meeting guests at the airport.

It seems that there is nothing difficult - meeting a delegation or a group of tourists at the airport, making acquaintances, taking them to the hotel and accommodating them. If the translator does not perform any other function other than translation and a specialist protocol officer (secretary, etc.) is present, then problems usually do not arise.

However, translators sometimes face a number of difficulties. This is especially true in cases where you have to combine the duties of a translator, guide and protocol specialist in one person. This is where the problems begin:

• With whom from the delegation (group) should I discuss protocol issues and the daily routine?
• What to do for foreigners on the way to their accommodation?
• what to do with them throughout the day?
• who and how to pay for small and unexpected expenses?

This is not a complete list of emerging issues. In addition, sometimes completely abnormal situations happen (someone gets sick, gets lost, loses money/documents).

How to prepare and what to do?

Before the meeting at the airport, you need to clarify a number of questions from the receiving company or organization:

1. Who in the host company itself can the translator contact on issues related to the visiting delegation?
2. Who in the company is responsible for organizing meetings and other protocol issues.
3. What is the composition of the delegation (it is advisable to know as much as possible in advance - even gender and age).
4. What is the purpose of the foreigners’ arrival, their status.
5. If you have to receive not tourists, but a commercial or government delegation - who exactly is its leader, and which specific foreigner is responsible for organizing the trip.
6. What is the specific role and tasks of the translator (is it only to provide transfer, accommodation, or additionally - food, cultural program, etc.).
7. Financial issues - whether the receiving party bears any unexpected and minor expenses, whether the translator must pay them, and whether he will be allocated an appropriate budget.

This, of course, is not a complete list of issues, but a priority one. In general, the more the translator clarifies for himself from the receiving company, the better. But the very first thing is to know who to contact in emergency situations.

Algorithm of an interpreter's actions during a meeting of a delegation

When meeting a delegation at the airport, you must immediately introduce yourself to the head of the delegation and ask which member of the delegation is most convenient to contact on protocol and organizational issues.

When making a transfer, you can simultaneously talk about what foreigners see - they are almost always interested in this, especially those who came to the country for the first time. At the same time, it is worth trying to conduct a conversation not only as a guide, but also to talk about the life of the city, its pressing problems. They are always keenly interested in this too. In addition, this approach helps to start a more or less relaxed conversation.

The most important thing is that when meeting a delegation at the airport, you should not get lost. Foreigners expect help from a translator above all else. Therefore, you should immediately ask whether the newcomers have any problems or questions (usually they appear immediately from the first steps in a foreign country). It would be a good idea to think through an algorithm for your actions in emergency situations before accepting a foreign group. This will not only give confidence when receiving this particular delegation, but will also be useful in future work.

Visits of government officials are the highest form of international communication; they indicate the quality of political, economic and other relations between the two states. The visit can be state, official, working, unofficial or a transit visit.

After the President decides to receive a foreign delegation, the Protocol Directorate and the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs develop organizational measures in accordance with the nature of the planned visit and prepare a draft presidential order for its implementation.

Preparation of the guest's stay program is the same for all forms of visit. However, state visits, as visits of the highest category, are carried out in special cases and no more than once during the tenure of the head of state in power. During a state visit, a high and honorable level of meeting and seeing off the guest is ensured: at the airport (or train station), the head of a foreign state is met by the chairman of the government and the minister of foreign affairs, the president Russian Federation holds an official welcoming and farewell ceremony in the Kremlin.

In addition, during the visit the guest is accompanied by a high official, usually at the level of Deputy Prime Minister.

After the timing of the visit is finalized, the protocol department of the presidential administration and the protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs develop a draft program for the distinguished guest’s stay, taking into account his wishes, then the project is agreed upon with the embassy and the so-called advance groups traveling to Russia in preparation for the visit.

In preparation for the arrival of their leader in Russia, an advance group consisting of representatives of protocol, security, communications, medicine, etc. arrives in Moscow 30–40 days before the start of the visit. In some countries, it is considered advisable to send several advance groups at intervals of 2 -3 weeks.

The meeting with the advance group is taking place in the Kremlin, and it is attended by representatives of all services involved in preparing and conducting the visit on our part.

During the meeting, details of the welcoming and farewell ceremonies are discussed; composition of negotiation participants; details of the official reception, signing of joint documents, exchange of gifts. Members of the advance group get acquainted with the venue for official ceremonies, negotiations, and inspect the residence provided to the distinguished guest in the Kremlin. After familiarizing themselves with the program as a whole, members of the advanced group conduct negotiations “on interests” - protocol with protocol, security with security, etc.

The block of organizational, technical and economic issues is of great importance, requiring special scrupulousness and taking into account all the details. For example, Russian and foreign protocol officers agree on the number of persons from the guest delegation, the expenses of whose stay in Russia will be borne by the Russian side. Norms of financial expenditures are taken into account by the Russian side when determining the number and level of services provided to foreign guests, including accommodation in residences and hotels, provision of motor transport and aviation support (for flights to one of the cities of the Russian Federation, if this is provided for in the visit program).

During state and official visits, the head of a foreign delegation is provided with a guest residence in the Kremlin, and during working visits, one of the mansions on Vorobyovy Gory. For official accompanying persons, the Russian side can provide rooms in the President Hotel or Golden ring" The Kremlin residence is located near the Borovitsky Gate, a little further from the Armory Chamber. These apartments have existed since ancient times. As a rule, all heads of state and monarchs who come to Moscow stop here. Queen Elizabeth II of England and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh stayed here in October 1994. During the Cold War era, many heads of state chose to stay at their embassies, such as American presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. But Bill Clinton, accepting the invitation of our protocol service, stopped in the Kremlin. Anyone can pay attention: when the flag of a foreign state flutters over the residence, this means that a distinguished guest is currently staying here, who is being received by the Russian president.

The number and type of vehicles provided by the Russian side are discussed with representatives of the advance group. Typically, the head of state and his wife are provided with limousine-class cars, and for accompanying persons - passenger cars or executive-class minibuses. Special vehicles are provided to deliver luggage from the airport and back.

The results of the meeting with the advance group are usually summed up during a working breakfast, during which final clarifications are made.

After the president signs the order to receive the distinguished guest, the protocol department and the protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs begin to prepare reference materials: the visit program, which is printed in the form of a brochure in Russian and the language of the guest’s country; seating charts for participants in negotiations and official lunch (breakfast); plan for the accommodation of guests with addresses of residence and numbers of cars assigned to them. The printing house orders name cards in two languages: large format - to indicate seats at the negotiation table and small format, so-called kuvertnye, which are installed on tables for those invited to lunch (breakfast). For each invitee, a card “Your place at the table” is prepared with the necessary guidelines for such an occasion. The printing house also prints invitation forms, menu texts and their covers, programs of performances and concerts as part of the cultural program, and covers of speeches.

In anticipation of the visit, memorable gifts and souvenirs are prepared for the guests, the relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appoint interpreters for the distinguished guest and his wife, protocol officers of the presidential administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supervise the preparation of the airport for the welcoming ceremony and its attributes - state flags, a guard of honor and an orchestra. The Presidential Orchestra is practicing the national anthem of the guest. Participants in meeting ceremonies, negotiations and protocol events are notified of the time and place of their holding, the relevant services order bouquets of flowers, reserve cars and hotel rooms.

Meeting and seeing off at the airport

During a state visit, the distinguished guest is greeted by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ambassador to the guest's country; during an official visit, the Deputy Chairman of the Government, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the Russian Ambassador to the guest's country.

State and official visits involve a solemn meeting and seeing off ceremony at the airport with military honors, except in cases where the guest arrives in Moscow late in the evening or early in the morning. In other cases, for example, during a working visit, a transit visit, etc., there are no formal ceremonies upon the arrival of the distinguished guest.

When meeting at the airport, the state flags of the guest’s country and the Russian Federation are raised, and a guard of honor of the three branches of the Armed Forces is lined up on the airfield. The chairman of the government or one of his deputies, the guest’s ambassador to Moscow and the director of the department of state protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approach the gangway.

The director of the department of state protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ambassador of the guest country board the plane and invite the head of state to exit. At the gangway, the head of a foreign state is greeted by the chairman of the government or his deputy. This moment is recorded on photo and film cameras. If a distinguished guest arrives with his wife, she is met at the ramp by the wife of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, who hands the guest a bouquet of flowers. After the national anthems are played, the guest's spouse takes a place among the officials accompanying the foreign head of state.

The director of the department of state protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation invites the head of a foreign state and the chairman of the government to go to the guard of honor. They take places on the carpet facing the airport building, and the head of the honor guard gives them a report. Then the foreign head of state and the Russian prime minister turn to face the guard of honor, and the orchestra plays the national anthems of both countries.

The head of a foreign state and the prime minister take a few steps towards the banner of the guard of honor and greet it with a slight bow of the head, after which they walk around the formation, then say goodbye to the head of the guard of honor and head towards the airport building. The Russian prime minister greets those accompanying the guest, and the head of a foreign state greets Russian officials, heads of diplomatic missions and employees of the embassy of his country.

The Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites the distinguished guest and the head of Russian government walk onto the carpet, and a guard of honor solemnly marches in front of them.

If a distinguished guest goes to a residence provided by the Russian side, the Prime Minister or his deputy follows him to the residence in the same car.

The flags of the guest's country and the Russian Federation are installed on the car. During state and official visits, the car is accompanied by an honorary escort of 9 motorcyclists.

City streets at 3–4 points along the guest’s route to the residence should be decorated with the state flags of the guest’s country and the Russian Federation.

At the entrance to the Kremlin residence, the head of a foreign state is greeted by the Kremlin commandant. The Chairman of the Government rises with the guest to the third floor, escorting him to the residence, then says goodbye to him.

The same ceremony is performed upon the departure of a distinguished guest from Moscow.

Even with such a well-practiced ceremony, surprises happen, for example, when an arriving plane, due to weather conditions, is directed by the dispatcher to land not at the Vnukovo-2 government airport, but at some other airport. In such cases, everyone who meets you has to take part in impromptu car races on the roads of the Moscow region in order to make it in time for the ramp to the landing plane. The task in such situations is further complicated by the fact that the guest needs to provide all the necessary vehicles on time and have time to form a motorcade, informing the drivers about the routes and the visit program.

Having met the distinguished guest, employees of the protocol department seat the guests in cars in accordance with the motorcade diagram, assist foreign colleagues in processing border and customs documents and sending the delegation’s luggage to the residence and hotel.

In the residence and hotel where the official delegation is to be accommodated, temporary headquarters are created from among the staff of protocol, security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promptly resolve issues related to the stay of foreign guests.

At the airport, distinguished guests are met and escorted by a company of honor guard of the Moscow garrison. The company is based in Moscow, it has its own barracks, its own parade ground, since it spends a lot of time on stepping or so-called drill, which is absolutely necessary so that in any weather and at any time of the day the movements of the soldiers lined up in ranks are flawless. The company receives an application from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct welcoming and sending-off events, and also participates in wreath-laying ceremonies. The company has special uniforms, reminiscent of the uniform of the Russian army from the time of Peter the Great.

No less responsibility lies with the presidential orchestra, an indispensable participant in the ceremonies of welcoming and seeing off distinguished guests.

I remember a curious incident that occurred back in Soviet times, in the summer of 1974, at the farewell ceremony for American President Nixon, who came to Moscow for the last time in this capacity. His visit was overshadowed by the then-unfolding campaign in the United States for the impeachment of the president, which was based on the Watergate case. Nevertheless, during the visit a number of important documents were signed, including on the reduction of strategic arms. The President arrived at the airport accompanied by Prime Minister A. N. Kosygin. The orchestra played the anthems of the two countries and then, as expected, began to perform marches while waiting for the engines of our Il-62 aircraft to start, which was supposed to deliver Nixon to Kiev, from where, in accordance with the program, he flew to Kiev on his plane. Washington. I was then part of the group that took part in seeing off the American president. The orchestra played and played, but the engines still did not start. As it later became known, the ship’s commander reported that one of the engines would not start, and it was decided to transfer to a spare aircraft, which, as expected, was standing nearby. It immediately became clear that the spare plane did not have on-board food. Then Kosygin and Bugaev, who was then minister civil aviation, boarded the plane and, apologizing, invited the distinguished guest to go to the waiting room while the reserve plane was being prepared. And our female flight attendants began carrying food prepared for the American delegation on trays. When one of the flight attendants walked onto the ramp with oranges, they rolled off the tray and scattered across the field. The whole world then watched newsreel footage of these oranges. Of course, they weren’t shown to us. And the entire time the American president was being transferred to another plane, until the moment when the plane taxied to runway, the orchestra played cheerful marches.

Previously, visits of distinguished guests lasted 7–10 days, and they had the opportunity to visit several cities of the Soviet Union. Nowadays it is not customary to make long visits, and therefore guests only occasionally visit one of the cities of Russia.

During state and official visits, the motorcade of cars carrying the distinguished guest is accompanied by an escort of motorcyclists. This happens at any time of the year, except winter, when traffic on highways is difficult due to weather conditions. If you ever see such an escort on the street while the Russian president himself is on a trip around the country or abroad, this means that you are observing a training run, working out some movement parameters. All escort motorcyclists are employees of the Special Purpose Garage, just like the cars that are served to distinguished guests. The escort includes our motorcycles, created at the Izhevsk plant, powerful machines with good maneuverability. And although motorcyclists, of course, are not stuntmen, they can do a lot of things, and above all, shoot well.

The outline of the meeting of the head of a foreign state must be sent to embassies so that they are aware and can participate in it. Usually, during a state visit, the guest is greeted by the chairman of the government, if the visit is official - by one of his deputies. We have always had a clear agreement in this regard, and it has never happened that responsible persons from the government did not come to the airport. Another thing is that sometimes they arrive in the wrong clothes. Everyone probably remembers how Nemtsov, as first deputy prime minister, met one of the high-ranking guests in white trousers.

Clinton was once considered one of the most promising young senators before becoming president. During a reception in honor of Clinton, pointing to Nemtsov, Yeltsin said: “We also have a young politician growing up, he has just turned thirty, maybe he will be president!” Clinton called Nemtsov over to greet him, and Nemtsov, without hesitation, extended his hand across the table instead of walking around him. Of course, I later had to explain to him that he was wrong.

When the Queen of England arrived in Moscow in October 1994, President Yeltsin, as an exception, himself went to the airport to meet her. And already in 2003, Jacques Chirac personally met Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at the airport. Previously, we had cases when our president was met and seen off by heads of state in the same way. This happened spontaneously and showed the president’s special affection for his Russian guest.

The protocol is a very delicate matter. Mitterrand met us - my French partners have the opportunity to hint to me that now it wouldn’t hurt for our president to go to the airport to meet the President of France. But usually, of course, I have never heard such proposals, since such a decision remains solely at the discretion of the receiving party. Our partners understand perfectly well that they made a deviation from the general rule, confirmed by international practice.

Kings and queens can usually only visit a country once. Representatives of royal families mainly meet with each other: at weddings, christenings, funerals. Regarding permission for the visit of their royalty and the allocation of funds for it, in some countries openly, in others - in closed meetings, this issue is resolved by the Council of Ministers, since we are talking about large government expenditures.

The visit of the English Queen Elizabeth II to our country was a serious test both for the employees of the relevant protocol services and for our high-ranking officials. The President accompanied the Queen on her trip to St. Petersburg. During the organization and holding of the royal reception on board the yacht Britannia, we tried to take into account all the features of the British royal protocol.

Location of participants in official conversations, negotiations, lunches

When arranging or seating members of delegations and accompanying persons, as well as those invited to various official ceremonies, the principle of protocol seniority, widely used in modern international practice, is used.

As a guideline, the protocol list of senior state officials approved by the president, listed in a strictly defined sequence in accordance with the constitution, is usually taken. The first on this list is the president, the second is the chairman of the government, then the leaders of the Federation Council and the State Duma, the chairmen of the Constitutional, Supreme and Supreme Arbitration Courts, and the prosecutor general. They are followed by the first deputy prime ministers, the minister of foreign affairs, deputy chairmen of the chambers of parliament, etc.

In recent years, for the first time in the post-revolutionary history of Russia, during official events, protocol seniority began to especially emphasize the merits of Russian citizens awarded the highest Russian orders of St. Andrew the First-Called and “For Services to the Fatherland” II, III, IV degrees.

It may seem that when arranging participants for ceremonies, all you need to do is have lists of delegations and escort the invitees to their assigned places on time. In fact, during any visit, an atmosphere of solemn nervousness invariably arises: the tardiness of individuals from the Russian and foreign delegations, the desire of those standing in the “line” to regroup at their own discretion require maximum attention and tact from the protocol officers.

According to the established Russian protocol tradition, ceremony participants are lined up in a “line,” as a rule, at the meeting and farewell at the airport, the official meeting and farewell in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin residence of the Russian president.

The next morning after the arrival of the English Queen Elizabeth II in Moscow, we were all expecting her to come out, but for some reason the queen did not appear. She stayed at the Kremlin residence, and the meeting with President Yeltsin was supposed to take place in the Kremlin Palace. I sent my assistant Alexander Marshev to find out what was going on. He comes running and says: “The queen’s chief governess overslept and did not prepare flowers for her. Until the bouquet is made, the queen will not come out.”

It was then that we first noticed that Elizabeth II always carried a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. I think this is no coincidence. There are many such awkward moments when, without observing etiquette, a lady offers her hand without waiting for her to offer it herself. Apparently, this happens not only in Russia, therefore, protecting the queen from unexpected and unauthorized handshakes, her protocol established the rule that the queen should always hold a bouquet in her hands. Everyone sees that the queen has her hands full, and if necessary, she will extend her hand herself.

So, after some hesitation, the queen finally came out, apologized and said: “Mine, too, let me down at times.”

Etiquette in relation to the queen is generally not easy: it often overrides generally accepted and observed rules of good manners. For example, the queen, unlike any other woman, cannot be supported by the elbow when she comes down the stairs.

Negotiation

According to Russian protocol practice, if official negotiations are held in the Kremlin, they usually take place in the executive office and begin with a one-on-one conversation between the Russian president and the head of a foreign state. During this conversation, as a rule, there are recorders and translators present - one on each side.

At the end of the negotiations, depending on the further program, the heads and members of the delegations either say goodbye in the representative office, or go to the Ambassadorial Hall of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation for the ceremony of signing joint documents.

Signing of documents

The Embassy Hall is intended for the presentation of credentials by ambassadors of foreign states (it was used during the reconstruction of the BKD), and it is also customary to sign interstate agreements and treaties here. The very name of the hall - Posolsky - reflects the essence of the events taking place in it. The design of the hall is dominated by the coat of arms of Russia - the double-headed eagle. It can be seen on the walls upholstered in purple fabric, on an exquisite bronze chandelier. The gold threads with which the heraldic eagles are embroidered give a special shine and splendor to the appearance of the hall.

The signing of joint documents in the Ambassadorial Hall is carried out, as a rule, after negotiations in the representative office in the presence of the negotiators, who are located to the right and left of the table next to the flags of their states.

The President of the Russian Federation and the head of a foreign state take places at the table, with the head of the foreign state located to the right of the Russian President.

An employee of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads out the names of the documents being signed in Russian and foreign languages. After signing joint documents and their alternatives, the Russian president and his foreign partner exchange documents and shake hands.

Champagne is served.

In some cases, depending on the political significance of the signed documents, the parties may give brief answers to 2-3 questions from journalists.

While the heads of state are holding a face-to-face meeting, short conversations between members of the Russian and foreign delegations usually take place in the Living Room and Fireplace Halls.

The program of an official or working meeting may include a breakfast on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, to which only negotiators are invited to continue discussing the issues raised at the meeting, but in a more relaxed atmosphere. Such breakfasts are held in the Small Banquet Hall of the residence.

The above-mentioned representative premises make up the enfilade of the second floor of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Each of these rooms has its own type of decor. The Living Room is designed in a beautiful artistic manner: a combination of white, blue and gilding on the furniture and doors, oval mirrors in bronze frames, and inlaid parquet flooring emphasize the impression of solemnity. The banquet hall is designed in light yellow and blue tones, and its interior corresponds to the classical traditions of the 18th century. The hall is significantly enlarged by tall rectangular mirrors located between the semi-columns. The bronze chandelier decorating the painted ceiling contains the symbols of Russia - double-headed heraldic eagles.

Official meeting in the Catherine Hall

When the President of the Russian Federation receives a foreign head of state in the Catherine Hall, the ceremony is not much different from the one held in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

The head of a foreign state arrives at the guest entrance of the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the Russian president and, passing through the foyer, climbs the main staircase to the Catherine Hall. He is greeted by a guard of honor both in the foyer and on the main staircase.

Russian participants of the meeting and accompanying persons are waiting for the distinguished guest in the Catherine Hall. The President of the Russian Federation comes out to meet him from the side of the Advisory Room to the sounds of presidential fanfare.

Having met in the center of the hall, the presidents shake hands and head to the place indicated by the corresponding flags. They are photographed for memory, after which the national anthems of the guest country and the Russian Federation are performed.

If the guest arrives with his wife, the participants in the ceremony are located in the following order: the guest’s wife stands on the left hand of the President of the Russian Federation, the wife of the President of the Russian Federation stands on the right hand of the guest. The wife of the President of the Russian Federation presents a bouquet of flowers to the guest's wife.

The presidents proceed to greet and introduce Russian officials and the official guest delegation, after which they leave the hall.

Official lunch in the Catherine Hall

After the number and composition of the guests are finally determined, table arrangement options are first worked out, then a plan and seating order for guests is drawn up, and a menu is selected.

Guests are familiarized with the main provisions of the formal dinner script from the inserts sent out along with the invitations.

Here is a sample insert and invitation to an official dinner on the occasion of the visit of the King of Norway to the Russian Federation:

“Those invited to the official dinner arrive at the arch of the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation and, after passing through the guest entrance, gather in the foyer on the first floor.

They are given presentation cards and table seating cards; An aperitif is served.

Guest gathering ends at 18.40.

At 19.00 guests are invited to ascend the grand staircase to the Council Room. Upon entering the Conference Room, presentation cards are handed over to the protocol officer of the President of the Russian Federation. In the Conference Room, the invitees are introduced to the President of the Russian Federation B. N. Yeltsin, King Harald V of Norway, Queen Sonja and N. I. Yeltsina, then the invitees proceed to the Catherine Hall to their places at the tables in accordance with the seating plan.

Dress code: men - dark suit, women - long evening dress, military personnel - full dress uniform with medal pads.

Please refrain from smoking in the premises of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation.”

Those invited to an official dinner gather at the arch of the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the Russian president. After passing through the guest entrance, they gather in the foyer on the ground floor, where they are given seating cards (for a state visit, also presentation cards) and served an aperitif.

The gathering of guests ends 15–20 minutes before the start of the official dinner. At this time, the Russian president, the head of a foreign state and their spouses meet in the Advisory Room.

At the appointed time, guests are invited to ascend the grand staircase to the Meeting Room. During a state visit, a guard of honor is formed on the main staircase. In the Advisory Room, the invitees are introduced to the Russian President and the head of a foreign state.

If the guest arrives with his wife, the heads of state and their spouses are positioned to greet the guests in the following sequence: the President of Russia, the guest, the guest’s wife, the wife of the President of Russia.

After the performance, those invited go to the Catherine Hall to their places at the tables. The last to enter the hall, to the sound of presidential fanfare, are the Russian president and the head of a foreign state.

At the beginning of lunch, the heads of state exchange formal speeches and toasts. Translations of speeches and toasts are prepared in advance and laid out on the tables. The Russian president speaks first, then the head of a foreign state.

At the end of the dinner, first, to the sound of presidential fanfare, the presidents leave the hall, followed by the rest.

During a state visit, those invited to a state dinner, upon entering the Briefing Room, hand over their presentation cards to the Presidential Protocol Officer, who reads them to both Presidents.

Official lunch (breakfast) in the Faceted Chamber

An obligatory element of the program of state, official or working visits of a foreign head of state to Moscow is a reception (breakfast or lunch) given in his honor by the Russian President in the Faceted Chamber of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

The Chamber of Facets is the oldest surviving building of the Grand Kremlin Palace, built in 1487–1491. The chamber served as a throne room. Here, foreign ambassadors were received in a solemn atmosphere and festivities were held on the occasion of events of national importance. In 1552, Ivan the Terrible celebrated the conquest of the Kazan Khanate here; in 1653, in the Faceted Chamber, the ambassadors of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky conveyed to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the will of the Ukrainian people “to stand under the hand of the Tsar of Moscow”; in 1709, Peter I celebrated his victory over the Swedes near Poltava here, etc.

When preparing for a reception, the most suitable option for arranging tables is selected, which depends on the number of guests and whether the guest came with his wife or not. If the head of a foreign state comes to Russia with his wife, most guests from the Russian side are invited with their spouses, and oval tables for 7–8 people are placed in the Chamber of Facets. If the reception is held without wives, a U-shaped table is placed. If there are a large number of guests, a different design is assembled, consisting of a rectangular main table and four beam-tables extending from it, parallel to each other.

Having chosen a table arrangement, protocol officers begin to draw up a seating plan for Russian and foreign guests. At receptions of this level, guests are seated with the obligatory observance of protocol seniority accepted in Russia and in the guest’s country. The most honorable place at the main table - on the right hand of the Russian President - is given to the chief guest; the second most important person sits on the left hand. Then, if the reception is with spouses, the guest’s wife is located on the left hand of the Russian President, and the Russian President’s wife sits next to the guest. Next, the rest of the guests are seated according to this principle, taking into account that the further away they are from the main persons, the less honorable the seats. Seats must be alternated - a man is seated next to the woman and vice versa. It should be remembered that husband and wife should not sit together, and when “divorced” to different tables, the wife has the protocol seniority of her husband. In addition, you should not offer a woman a seat at the end of the table unless a man is sitting at the end.

Interpreters are placed behind the guests' chairs. It is impossible to assign an interpreter to each guest, so first of all, they are provided to those sitting at the main table, as well as negotiators and especially honored guests from both sides. When seating other guests, the guests’ knowledge of foreign languages, as well as the commonality of interests of those sitting at the same table. When the number of invitees reaches 120 people, the protocol staff has to solve real puzzles.

From time to time, a hard-to-find scheme has to be changed literally on the fly. There are times when, shortly before the start of the meal, it becomes known that one or another of the invitees will not be able to come to the reception. We have to literally “patch up” the crumbling scheme, using backup seating options, trying to arrange it so that the festive mood of the guests is not overshadowed by the slightest inconvenience, and the ceremonial part of the dinner takes place according to the established rules.

The text of the invitation to a reception is usually very laconic, in accordance with the requirements of international diplomatic protocol and etiquette. The shape, size, number and content of invitations sent depend on the location of the event, the capacity of the hall and, most importantly, on the representative level of the chief guest of the President of the Russian Federation.

In addition, according to a long-standing tradition, an invitation is a kind of pass to the event. In tsarist times, there were special “coachman” tickets for entry into the Kremlin, which were issued to invitees in the office of the State Duma. Now invitations are delivered by officers of the state courier service under the government of the Russian Federation or sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to embassies or directly to guests.

A properly composed menu plays an equally important role when holding a formal dinner. Thus, when organizing official events in honor of the leaders of countries professing Islam, alcoholic drinks and dishes prepared from pork are completely excluded from the menu. During visits to Russia by Indian government delegations, a special menu is prepared in which beef and veal dishes are completely excluded, since the cow is a sacred animal in India.

In addition to the invitation itself, the envelope contains a so-called insert, which indicates the procedure for the reception. Thus, for a dinner on the occasion of the official visit of the President of the United States of America, the following inserts were attached to the invitations:

“Those invited to dinner arrive at the Grand Kremlin Palace through the main entrance, climb the main staircase and pass through the antechamber to Ge Orgievsky hall. They are given table seating cards. The gathering of guests ends 15 minutes before the start of lunch.

At about 7 p.m., guests are invited to the Vladimir Hall. They are introduced to the President of the Russian Federation, N.I. Yeltsina, the President of the United States of America, Mr. William J. Clinton, Mrs. H. Clinton and through the Holy Entrance they proceed to the Chamber of Facets, where they stop at their places determined by the seating plan.

At the end of lunch, guests move to the St. George Hall of the BKDU where the concert

In order to preserve the artistic treasures of the Grand Kremlin Palace, please refrain from smoking.”

The insert may indicate the uniform, for example: men - a dark suit, women - a long evening dress, military personnel - a dress uniform with medal pads.

As can be seen from the contents of the insert, persons invited to the official dinner arrive at St. George's Hall 15–20 minutes before it starts.

The President of the Russian Federation and the head of a foreign state meet in the Winter Garden and a few minutes before the start of lunch they go to the center of the Vladimir Hall to greet the guests.

If the head of a foreign state arrived with his wife, the presidents and their spouses are located in the center of the hall, facing in the following order: the President of Russia, the guest, the guest’s wife, the wife of the President of Russia. Having introduced themselves to the presidents, the guests head to the Chamber of Facets and take their places at the tables.

As I already said, formal toasts and speeches are made at the beginning of dinner, translations of the speeches are laid out on the tables. At this time, representatives of the media are invited to the hall.

At the end of lunch, both presidents are the first to leave the Faceted Chamber.

In 1995, the Red Porch, which was destroyed in the 30s of the last century, was added to the Holy Entrance of the Faceted Chamber. In former times, people passed through the white stone Red Porch only on especially solemn occasions: through it the kings went to the Assumption Cathedral for coronation and weddings, here the sovereign appeared and bowed to the people on days of special celebrations. Crowned heads and foreign ambassadors of Christian countries walked up the Red Porch into and out of the palace, and were thus given special honor.

With the restoration of the historical appearance of the front porch, this good tradition was revived. Thus, during the official visit of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the President of Russia, accompanying her on a walk around the Kremlin, took the queen out through the Red Porch. After the signing of integration documents between Russia and Belarus, the presidents of the two countries and Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II descended from the Grand Kremlin Palace to Cathedral Square along the Red Porch.

Conversations and negotiations

Meetings and conversations of the Russian President with heads of foreign states, as well as negotiations in a narrow and expanded format are the key events of the visit. The official part of the program of heads of foreign states begins with conversations and negotiations with the President of the Russian Federation.

To conduct such conversations, the protocol department compiles a list of meeting participants from the Russian and foreign sides. Usually there is one recorder and one translator present at the interviews. As a rule, assistants to heads of state on foreign policy act as note takers. After the location of this event has been determined, protocol officers notify the negotiators on the Russian side, the press and ensure the timely arrival of the delegation to the Kremlin.

The head of the foreign delegation is accompanied to the conversation with the President of Russia by a representative of the protocol service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is met in the Kremlin by a representative of the Russian Presidential Protocol Department. He escorts the guest to the Green Drawing Room of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Previously, it was called the State Divan and served as a resting place for the most honored guests who participated in royal receptions and balls. Here, by the fireplace, at a small table, the interlocutors sit opposite each other under the flags of their states.

In the case when the head of a foreign state is in the Russian Federation on a working visit, and also when the parties wish to emphasize the special nature of the visit, the conversation takes place in the Kremlin residence of the president.

Expanded negotiations

Negotiations between the President of Russia and heads of foreign states follow the same pattern, only the location of the negotiations and the composition of the participants change.

Previously, plenary sessions (that is, meetings in an expanded format) were held exclusively in the Hall of the Order of St. Catherine, the former Throne Hall of Empress Catherine I, the head of the Catherine Order.

The Order of St. Catherine (Order of Liberation) is a special and only women's order in Russia. It was established by Peter I in memory of the withdrawal of the Russian army from Turkish encirclement in 1711. Catherine I played a big role in her rescue, whose jewelry was used to bribe the commander of the Turkish army. In Tsarist Russia, the order was awarded to the wives of the highest royal dignitaries and ladies-in-waiting of the imperial court.

Now negotiations in an expanded format can also take place in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Before they begin, the foreign delegation enters the Hall of the Order of St. Catherine from the Green Living Room, and our President and Russian negotiators enter from the Cavalry Hall. The delegation of each party consists of no more than twelve people.

Having met in the center of the hall, on the side located along the windows, both presidents shake hands and take photographs (photo and television correspondents are invited in advance).

The negotiators take the places marked with cover cards, the interpreters sit to the left of the heads of delegations. They are again filmed and photographed, after which the media representatives leave the room.

In the same way, extended negotiations are being held in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

If during the negotiations a decision is made to immediately sign a joint working document, both parties move to the Red Living Room.

Both presidents occupy chairs at the table (the head of a foreign state is to the right of the president of the Russian Federation). The negotiators stand to the right and left of the table on the side of the flags of their states.

The signing of major final documents is carried out in a more solemn atmosphere in the Vladimir Hall in the presence of a wide range of invitees and numerous representatives of the press.

Signing of final documents

The signing of final documents usually takes place in the Vladimir Hall. The Vladimir Hall is the ceremonial room of the Grand Kremlin Palace, where representatives of the merchant and bourgeois classes who participated in the highest receptions gathered. It is named after the Order of St. Vladimir, established by Catherine II in honor of the Kyiv prince Vladimir the Red Sun, the baptist of Rus'.

Before signing the final documents, both presidents meet in the Winter Garden a few minutes before the ceremony begins. At this time, the invitees gather in the Vladimir Hall, and the negotiators stand to the right and left of the table on the side of the flags of their states.

At the appointed time, the Russian president and the head of a foreign state descend the stairs from the Winter Garden to the Vladimir Hall to the table at which the signing is to take place, and take their places in the chairs (the foreign head of state is on the right hand of the Russian president).

Having signed joint documents and their alternatives, the presidents exchange them and shake hands. Champagne is served.

Sometimes, after signing, the heads of delegations say a few words at the microphones located on both sides of the table, or approach the press and answer two or three questions from journalists.

Presentation of credentials

The presentation of credentials is an event held by the Presidential Protocol Department and the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ambassador of a foreign state, who must present his credentials to the Russian president, is sent a luxury car ZIL, in which, accompanied by an employee of the state protocol department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he arrives at the Kremlin.

No later than 20 minutes before the start of the ceremony, ambassadors of foreign states enter the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation. After passing through the guest entrance, they climb the main staircase to the second floor. A guard of honor is placed along their route. The meeting place for ambassadors is the Exhibition Hall, where the Kremlin museums set up their exhibitions.

A few minutes before the start of the ceremony, ambassadors of foreign states are invited to the Catherine Hall, where they line up. In addition to them, representatives of the media are present in the hall.

At the appointed time, the President enters the hall from the side of the Advisory Room, accompanied by the deputy head of his administration and the Minister (or First Deputy Minister) of Foreign Affairs of Russia and goes to the place where the Russian flag and standard of the President of the Russian Federation are installed.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stands on the right hand of the president, the deputy head of the presidential administration for foreign policy matters on the left. The Director of the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces the ambassador presenting his credentials. The ambassador approaches the president along the carpet, presents his credentials and, after shaking hands, takes a place at the right hand of the president for a photograph, after which he returns to his place.

Upon completion of the presentation of credentials, the President addresses the ambassadors with a short speech. Champagne is served.

The President holds an informal conversation with the ambassadors, after which the ceremony of presenting credentials is considered completed.

Laying wreaths

The laying of wreaths by foreign heads of state at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow takes place with the obligatory participation of an honor guard and an orchestra.

The honor guard is lined up in two lines in front of the grave. Military banners are placed on the right flank of the honor guard, the orchestra is located to the right of the banners. Sentinels with carbines at their feet are posted at the grave. Employees of the embassy of the guest's country deliver the wreath in advance.

The distinguished guest is met by Russian officials, as well as the military commandant of Moscow, after which the delegation walks along the guard of honor.

First comes the leading officer of the honor guard, followed at a distance of two or three steps by two officers carrying a wreath (sometimes these are persons from the foreign delegation designated to carry the wreath), followed by the head of the foreign state.

The main guest is accompanied by: on the right - the military commandant, on the left - the main escort from the Russian side and the director of the state protocol department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then followed by the delegation, Russian officials, and employees of the embassy of the guest's country.

As the delegation approaches, at the command of the chief, the guard of honor takes a position of “at attention” with an alignment towards the guests. The orchestra performs mournful and solemn melodies. The battle flags bow forward. When the delegation approaches the grave, the orchestra falls silent. The head of a foreign state lays a wreath and honors the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.

Visiting a theater or concert

During state and official visits to the Russian Federation by heads of state and government, the program of stay may include visiting a theater performance or concert.

In such cases, employees of the protocol department arrive at the theater or concert hall in advance and deliver baskets of flowers to be presented to the artists or musicians on behalf of the distinguished guest, the Russian President or his representative. The President and his distinguished guest are provided with the central box of the theater or concert hall. If the visit is state or official, the national flags of the guest’s country and the Russian Federation are hung on both sides of the box, and the national anthems of the two countries are performed before the start of the performance. During an unofficial visit, flags will not be flown and anthems will not be played.

In the box, programs and librettos printed in Russian and the language of the guest’s country are laid out in advance. All arrivals are seated in accordance with protocol seniority. At the end of the performance, two baskets with business cards are brought onto the stage - from the distinguished guest and the President of the Russian Federation.

At the end of the performance, at the request of the guests, a short meeting with the leading artists or directors can take place, and a buffet can be organized during the intermission.

Official receptions

The traditions of holding receptions have come to us from the distant past. The receptions are designed to demonstrate the peacefulness and kindness, hospitality and hospitality of the people.

Usually at receptions guests are treated to dishes national cuisine, however, there are times when guests for some reason cannot eat these dishes. For example, among the distinguished guests there are vegetarians. Usually this issue is raised during the preparation of the visit. In such cases, the protocol service finds out the number of guests who do not eat animal products. Naturally, Kremlin chefs prepare special dishes for such guests. A discreet sign is placed on the corresponding cover cards, which allows the waiter not to confuse which dishes can be served to a given guest.

Usually, when we host a foreign head of state, we always ask what cuisine our guest prefers. The usual answer in such cases is: there are no special wishes. However, if a guest has health problems, the people conducting his protocol must report this, and we do everything so that the guest not only does not remain hungry, but also enjoys our treat. It is considered a gesture of special respect towards a foreign delegation to include dishes traditional for the guest’s country in the official reception menu.

As for drinks, it is international practice to offer red and white wine during meals. But if, for example, there is no vodka at our reception, they simply will not understand us.

In recent years, problems have begun to arise with wine: the quality of wines produced in what is now Russia leaves much to be desired, and the wines that we export from the CIS countries do not cost us much less than French ones, and among them there are a lot of fakes. For example, today you can buy khvanchkars and kindzmarauli anywhere and as much as you want, but in Soviet times the grape varieties from which they were made grew only in a certain place, and these wines were difficult to buy even in Tbilisi.

In order to organize receptions during our foreign visits, we took with us several chefs who knew Russian cuisine well and well-trained waiters. Nowadays, so-called reciprocal receptions have become less common, but previously they were certainly part of protocol practice: if, for example, today Reagan gives a reception in honor of Gorbachev, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we must organize a reciprocal reception at our embassy. Back then, to save money, we carried a lot of food with us. We still carry some of the products: vodka, caviar, our pickles. Previously, our black bread was very popular in the world, especially among the French and Americans. We brought him with us too. Baking bread has always been ours. Now this is no longer relevant: all over the world, bread products have become much less in demand. Everything else can be bought at the market or in a store, and modern technical means allow you to determine the quality of the products on the spot.

We don’t organize large receptions; usually we have 80–100 people abroad. In Russia - not much more, about 120 people. The largest reception was for 150 people, when Queen Elizabeth II of England was on an official visit to Russia. And, of course, in honor of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, when there were a lot of distinguished guests.

Most often, the limited number of invitees was explained by the fact that we did not have appropriate premises for quite a long time. In France, for example, the reception takes place simultaneously in different rooms of the Elysee Palace, and an impressive number of guests can be accommodated there. The Americans solve this issue in an even more interesting way. Premises suitable for large cluster There are not many people in the White House. The hall there is designed for 80 people, and there are always many more people who want to attend the reception, and among them there are many high-ranking guests. Let's assume that only 15 seats are reserved for the Russian delegation, and its composition is 20 people. Those who missed the main part of the reception are invited by the hosts to a concert that takes place after the reception. At approximately 21:00 those who received the invitation arrive there. They are served champagne, cognac, and cigars. If we tried to organize a reception at our place in this way, conversations would begin that the guests were divided into blacks and whites. But I think someday there will be an understanding that this is a completely acceptable form of holding such events. Although I know that now all kinds of associations at the Radisson Hotel or somewhere else hold very crowded receptions, with a thousand or more people.

Currently, several types of official receptions have been established in international practice, each of which has its own etiquette.

Day appointments

Daytime meals include “working breakfast”, “glass of champagne”, “glass of wine”, breakfasts.

The “working breakfast” is held, as a rule, during the Russian president’s visits abroad for meetings with representatives of the business community or for working meetings with heads of state at multilateral international forums.

“Working breakfast” is usually held at 8.00–8.30 am and lasts no more than one hour and fifteen minutes. A limited number of guests are invited. There will be no toasts or special performances during the breakfast.

“A glass of champagne” usually starts at 12 noon and lasts an hour and a half. During the reception, in addition to champagne, guests are served wine, juices, and mineral water. Waiters serve drinks and light snacks. The “glass of wine” technique is similar.

It is possible to invite guests with their spouses to such receptions.

Breakfast is usually served between 12.30 and 15.00 and lasts up to one and a half hours. When organizing breakfast on the Russian side, the menu includes one or two cold appetizers, one fish or meat dish and dessert. Sometimes a first course and a hot appetizer are served at breakfast.

Before breakfast, guests are offered juices, dry wine is served at the table, and at the end - champagne, coffee, tea. Since breakfast is most often of a business nature (except for official breakfasts in honor of a distinguished foreign guest), invitees usually come to it without their spouses.

Evening receptions

In international protocol practice, it is generally accepted that daytime receptions are less formal than evening ones.

One of them is "tea", usually held between 16 and 18 hours, usually for women. In Russian protocol practice, this type of reception is used when the wife of the President of Russia invites the wife of a distinguished foreign guest, other women during official visits of heads of state and government to our country.

No more than 7–10 women are invited to “tea”; usually they are seated at one table and treated to sweets, cookies, pastries, small sandwiches, fruits, and drinks.

Another type of evening reception is the “cocktail”, which starts between 17:00 and 19:00 and lasts about two hours. During the reception, waiters serve drinks, as well as cold and hot snacks. Often, 2-3 buffets are set up at different ends of the hall, where waiters offer drinks to guests.

A reception of the “a la buffet” type is not much different from a “cocktail”, especially since it is held at the same hours. At a buffet reception, tables are set with appetizers and hot dishes, and guests choose their own treat and put it on their plates. At buffets, waiters offer drinks to guests.

Cocktail and buffet receptions are held standing, with champagne, ice cream and coffee served at the end.

At a buffet-type reception, starting at 18-20 hours, guests, having helped themselves to snacks, are seated at their discretion at small tables designed for 4-6 people.

Guests are usually invited to all of the above receptions with their spouses.

The most formal type of reception is considered to be lunch. According to Russian protocol practice, lunch usually begins at 19:00 and is held in the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin presidential residence or the Reception House on Sparrow Hills.

A gala dinner involves speeches by the host and guest. It is previously agreed that they will last no more than 5–7 minutes at the very beginning of the event. When everyone is seated, the Russian president stands up and delivers his speech, the translation of which, prepared and printed in advance, is already on the tables so as not to waste time on interpretation. We also receive the guest’s speech the day before, print it out in Russian and place it on the tables. If the speaker wants to say a few words in addition to the text, he says: I am distracted from the text, I ask the translator to help. Such cases are very rare and are associated with strong impressions that evoked corresponding emotions in the host or guest.

The exchange of speeches takes 15 minutes, after which the press leaves, the microphones are removed, live music sounds, conversations, jokes, and laughter begin. The waiters bring snacks and hot dishes.

In accordance with Russian national traditions, the official lunch menu includes two or three cold appetizers, first: soup, borscht, hot fish and hot meat dishes.

There are no drinks on the table. A glass of vodka is poured in advance, which you don’t have to drink, of course. In recent years, Boris Nikolayevich was not even given a glass of vodka; he drank exclusively red wine. The waiters go around the guests and offer them red and white wine. Previously, it was firmly established that white wine was served with fish, and red wine with meat. Now the tradition of drinking wine is changing, everyone can determine for themselves which wine they prefer to eat meat and fish with. At the end of lunch, sweets are served: cakes, pastries, fruits, coffee, tea. The waiters offer champagne. Rising from the table, guests move to another room, where they are treated to cognac, liqueur, coffee, where they can smoke. At the Kremlin, we usually ask our guests not to smoke at receptions, but not everyone responds to our request. There are many who do not deny themselves anything; It is clear that the owners have to endure this.

During lunch there is a small light music concert. Only a very limited number of guests are invited to dine with the spouses.

Formal wear

Since ancient times, there has been a tradition in international practice of strict adherence to the rules for choosing clothing when attending official receptions. These rules are as strict today as they were centuries ago.

Clothing for men was and remains the most conservative, and therefore strictly regulated. For formal events, a man is recommended to have a tuxedo, tailcoat and classic suit in his wardrobe.

The tuxedo and tailcoat are increasingly used in world protocol practice as types of evening suit. When holding events on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation in Moscow, a tailcoat is not yet used, while in a number of countries (Sweden, France) it is traditional clothing for official receptions.

When a tailcoat is required, “white tie” is written on the official invitation (literally, “white tie”). A classic tailcoat requires a white vest and a white bow tie (a black bow tie is used in combination with a tailcoat only by waiters and orchestra musicians).

In Russian protocol practice, a tuxedo is more common. It originated in Great Britain, where men traditionally smoked cigars. Cigar ash, falling on the lapels of the jacket, left noticeable marks. To avoid this, a special “smoking jacket” was invented, the lapels of which were covered with silk or semi-silk fabric. The tuxedo has survived virtually unchanged to this day and remains one of the main elements of clothing for special occasions.

A tuxedo is required if the formal invitation states “black tie.” In the case of a tuxedo, this phrase should be taken literally - a bow tie as an element of a tuxedo when attending an official reception can only be black. A tuxedo requires a white shirt, a dark belt, patent leather boots, and carefully selected accessories (cufflinks, a scarf in the breast pocket). A classic tuxedo is always black; colored tuxedos that have appeared recently (for example, white) are not recommended to be worn to official receptions.

Most often, when holding official receptions on behalf of the Russian President and his wife, the usual classic suit is used as protocol practice. The requirements for a suit are simple: good cut, high-quality fabric, soothing colors. The official suit can only be one color. It is advisable to avoid colored vests. Dark blue blazers with gold buttons are also unacceptable for a formal occasion.

For an evening event, a dark blue suit is ideal (it may have a barely noticeable stripe), or a dark gray suit is also possible. It is not recommended to wear a black suit. For formal events starting before 7 p.m., you can wear a light-colored suit. Despite the current wealth of choice, the suit model should be classic and suit the figure of its owner.

For all formal events, men are recommended to wear a plain white shirt and a tie of a calm color. Today, a scarf in the breast pocket of a jacket is often used as an accessory. The scarf must be of the same quality as the tie and match its color scheme.

An important element of appearance is shoes. Reinterpreting the famous phrase that H. Ford said about the color of a car, I will say that shoes for an official reception can be of any color, but only if this color is black. It is recommended to wear black classic low shoes and, of course, black socks.

Military personnel must take part in official receptions in their dress uniform with medal pads.

Women have always had more freedom in choosing a costume. Unlike men's, women's clothing is difficult to regulate in detail. Here it is important to observe only a number of principles, and first of all, the one according to which classic silhouettes and colors always remain the basis of women's formal clothing.

At the same time, women's clothing must correspond to the times and meet existing high fashion trends. For example, recently at official events you can often see women in dark trouser suits, as well as elegant short dresses. In some countries, a women's suit, reminiscent in style of a classic tuxedo, is becoming fashionable as an official suit.

For daytime events, you should not wear a long evening dress; a dress of regular length, a dress-suit or a classic women's suit would be much more acceptable. In this case, the overall color scheme should be moderately calm, and the dress or skirt should be of a reasonable length.

For evening events, it is customary to wear an elegant evening dress, long or medium length. It can be of any classic color, but it must match the color of the lady’s companion’s suit. You should not wear an excessively revealing dress to the reception.

Separately, it should be said about the lady’s makeup and accessories. Makeup should not be flashy, and bright evening makeup is acceptable only for evening events. Also unacceptable a large number of jewelry. The color and texture of a handbag should match the overall appearance. It is not recommended to use a headdress, especially a hat, as an element of a ladies' evening suit. You can wear silk or lace gloves with an evening dress, and the shorter the sleeve, the longer the gloves should be.

Women's evening shoes can only be classic shoes with high or low heels.

Meetings “without ties”

This format of communication between state leaders has appeared a long time ago. Meetings of the so-called “G7” (now “G8”) and the Asia-Pacific summit were and are usually held at the end of the working week. This is Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. The peculiarity of such (essentially working) meetings is their informal nature, when in a relaxed, relaxed atmosphere, as a rule, somewhere in country residence, state leaders can discuss in their circle the most pressing, pressing issues of interstate relations and a wide range of international problems.

The apparent informality of the negotiations, however, in no way means a superficial approach to the problems being discussed. On the contrary, precisely because the exchange of opinions is frank and confidential, the preparation of managers for such conversations is carried out with the utmost thoroughness and thoroughness.

Naturally, in order to reach an informal level of relations, it is necessary for top managers to know each other well.

Gorbachev had one of the first such informal meetings in Stavropol region, in Arkhyz, practically in his homeland, with Helmut Kohl. This was back in July 1990.

Then Boris Nikolaevich also maintained unusually good relations with him. Helmut Kohl turned out to be a large-scale politician: being chancellor for 14 years is a very long time for a country like Germany. I always remember his wife Hana Laura fondly. She was a pleasant person to talk to, an interesting woman, well prepared, and worthily represented both Germany and her family at international meetings. Both Gorbachev and Yeltsin had many meetings with Kohl, formal and informal.

Yeltsin’s very first meetings “without ties” were with colleagues from the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 1993, a number of informal meetings took place, among which was, for example, a working visit to Moscow by the President of Ukraine. On the morning of June 17, the Ukrainian leader’s plane landed at Vnukovo airport, and from there he was taken by helicopter to the country residence of President Yeltsin. While the prime ministers, who were part of the delegations, also negotiated informally, the heads of state discussed the problems of bilateral relations during a walk. Then the four presidents and prime ministers gathered together and tried to find the keys to resolving the existing issues. Subsequently, the ministers of foreign affairs and defense joined the conversation, and negotiations continued at a working breakfast. Such a meeting, by all accounts, contributed to a significant rapprochement of the positions of the two sides.

The Russian President established warm, informal relations with the President of Finland M. Ahtisaari. This was greatly facilitated by the meeting between Yeltsin and Ahtisaari at the Shuyskaya Chupa residence in Karelia in July 1997. The President of Finland arrived in the afternoon, after which Russian-Finnish negotiations began “face to face”. In the morning - working breakfast, boat trip along Lake Onega. Joint fishing, visiting the sauna, and long conversations contributed to the establishment of a friendly and frank atmosphere of communication between the leaders of the two countries, and this made it possible to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all aspects of Russian-Finnish interaction. During the exchange of views, very sensitive international issues were not ignored. The meeting between M. Ahtisaari and B. N. Yeltsin produced concrete results in expanding humanitarian cooperation.

Meetings “without ties” have become the practice of contacts at the highest level between the Russian President and the leaders of the G8 countries. The informal dialogue between the Russian leader and the President of France, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, and the Prime Minister of Japan was actively supported. The meeting between B. N. Yeltsin and R. Hashimoto in Krasnoyarsk at the end of 1997 was interesting. Yeltsin invited the Japanese leader to river walk along the Yenisei, during which they examined the dam and Divnogorsk. Then they went fishing together. In the evening, communication continued at dinner, which was attended by a narrow circle of assistants on both sides. The next day, Yeltsin and Hashimoto discussed the results of the negotiations among themselves and only after that met with journalists. The return meeting took place in April 1998 in the Japanese city of Kawana.

Such informal meetings do not at all exclude the need for the relevant services to carry out enormous preparatory work. So, the day before, orders are made on the procedure for conducting the visit, approximate schemes, programs, etc. are approved. Moreover, the work of the protocol service becomes much more complicated. Employees of the protocol department have to gradually regulate the negotiation process, without pushing or slowing it down, but by giving senior leaders complete freedom to maneuver, sending the necessary consultants, cabinet members and experts to them at the right time.

In our press, it was customary to accuse Yeltsin of allegedly switching with the leaders of the G8 countries to address them by name: “friend Bill”, “friend Ryu”. I can definitely say that the Russian side has never shown such an initiative. When we said: “Mr. Clinton,” they suggested to us: “Let’s just Bill.” After all, they don’t have a middle name, and the addresses “Mr. Clinton” and “Mr. President” are too official, and they wanted to get away from that. When Russia joined the leaders of the G7 countries, our president had to accept the rules of the game and move away from formal principles in relations with the heads of other states. In the atmosphere of meetings without ties, they all began to move more freely and express their emotions more freely.

In America, after a meeting between the leaders of the United States and Russia, the correspondents managed to take a very successful photograph, a rear view: Yeltsin and Clinton are sitting and looking into the distance. This photo was published by many American newspapers. At the same meeting there was an interesting episode. Boris Nikolayevich suddenly, out of the blue, said to Clinton: “You will lose.” And Clinton laughed. For about three minutes he laughed defiantly, and no one could understand what was wrong with him. Then they continued the conversation, and Clinton raised his legs high in the American style. Boris Nikolaevich always behaved very strictly during negotiations, from his clothes to his posture. This time Clinton not only crossed his legs, but also grabbed his shoe with his hands. This was not the first time. Boris Nikolaevich suddenly asked: “What, Bill, is your shoe pinching?” Clinton was transferred. He grinned, lowered his leg, and never again took such a pose at meetings with Yeltsin.

At meetings of the G8 countries there is more pomp; evening events and appearance in evening suits are mandatory. Meetings of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region take place mainly in the summer, in the heat. They generally make the same shirts for everyone. Another thing is that you don’t have to wear them at all. At some events, the “seven” also had to wear cowboy boots and a hat. The meeting took place in 1997 in Denver (California), and this is the land of cowboys. It is clear that to some extent this whole environment is just a game. The guests reacted differently to this proposal: some put on boots and a hat, others did not. We didn't dress up as cowboys.

The number of accompanying persons at meetings “without ties” is always limited; there are usually not even foreign ministers. The program does not plan any official events or wreath laying. All the attention of the participants is concentrated only on this circle of communication and on the problems that they intend to discuss.

In my opinion, such meetings really contribute to improving mutual understanding. From 1991 until 2000, I had the opportunity to attend all the “sevens”, “sevens plus one” and “eights”. I can say that such meetings actually provide an opportunity for frank conversation. Top officials of states talk at the negotiating table, at breakfast, and at dinner.

Now their relationship has become simpler, there is no previous tension or pompousness. During such meetings they generally change a lot. They know how and love to joke. They may interrupt the meeting and rush to watch a football match. (As a rule, G8 meetings take place in the summer, when the World Cup is held.)

Now President V.V. Putin, who has developed a special relationship with both Schröder and Blair, is now participating in G8 meetings. They also call each other “friend,” but when discussing fundamental issues, they take a tough position and each defends the interests of their country.

The traditional exchange of souvenirs and gifts between the heads of foreign delegations and the leadership of the host country has long been considered an indispensable attribute of world protocol practice.

According to the embassy ritual of ancient Muscovy, guests never arrived empty-handed - as a rule, gifts were unique works of art. Eastern guests won the favor of the Russian tsars with magnificent horse harnesses and precious weapons, while Europeans captured the sovereign’s imagination with exquisite silver and gold dishes and jewelry.

In the 17th century, Armenian merchants, seeking duty-free trade, presented Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with a throne decorated with diamonds.

Overseas guests did not leave the Russian sovereign empty-handed. If he was pleased with their gifts, he immediately ordered the guests to weigh out sables and expensive fabrics according to the weight of their gift.

The king gave gifts not only to foreigners, but also to his subjects. Weapons and fabrics were especially valued in ancient times. The Emperor generously presented Russian patriarchs and metropolitans with gold and silver brocade, silks and velvet. Later, our gifts began to include works by our jewelers, as well as the St. Petersburg porcelain factory, created on the initiative of the great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov. But we also had the opportunity to give something more significant. For example, in Paris there is the Alexander III Bridge, built back in the 19th century with the active participation of Russia.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, issues of accounting and storage of jewelry, awards, gifts that belonged or donated to the royal family were dealt with by the cameral department of the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty of the Ministry of the Imperial Household, which was in charge of:

Room of the Imperial Regalia and Crown Diamonds in Winter Palace;

Storeroom of precious things and stones and wardrobe of the Highest persons;

A storeroom of stone products delivered from the Yekaterinburg and Kolyvan factories.

Some of the gifts received by the Moscow tsars in their time have been preserved in the Armory Chamber; another part of the gifts, dating back to the era of the empire, is stored and exhibited in the State Hermitage.

After 1917, the exchange of memorable gifts was given great state and political significance. This is evidenced by the fact that the selection of souvenirs for foreign visitors was carried out by a specially created “gift commission”. And the responsibilities for presenting souvenirs and memorable gifts were assigned to the protocol department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which performed the functions of state protocol.

Gift funds existed in the management of the affairs of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in all major ministries and departments.

After the revolution, as is known, a bloody Civil War began, and famine began in a country that was in international isolation. I think that during the period when Soviet power began to be recognized, foreign ambassadors were unlikely to receive official gifts from the Soviet leadership.

For the first time they started talking about gifts out loud when they were preparing to publicly celebrate the 70th anniversary of I.V. Stalin. In connection with the upcoming event, this issue was even considered at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In accordance with the decision made at the meeting, an Exhibition of gifts to J.V. Stalin was organized. By January 10, 1950, in its funds, which were located on the premises of the Museum of the USSR Revolution, the V.I. Lenin Museum, the Polytechnic Museum, the Museum fine arts them. A.S. Pushkin, the Armory Chamber and a number of other museums, there were 127,823 gifts, addresses and letters of gratitude. Among the gifts to Stalin were paintings, sculptures, works of wood and bone carvers, and much more. Among them were truly unique products: a carpet, in the production of which more than 18 thousand women of Slovakia participated; passenger cars "Skoda", "Minor", "Alfa Romeo"; a rare vase made of mammoth tusk with more than 100 figures depicted on it (the Chinese master worked on it for more than nine years); a letter from the inhabitants of the city of Delhi, which fits on a grain of rice and consists of 182 characters; weapons made by famous Arab craftsmen. Stalin did not take anything for himself from these gifts. He understood perfectly well that through them the whole world expressed its attitude towards our people, who just four years ago won a difficult victory in the world war. This was recognition of our role in the defeat of German fascism.

Stalin, as you know, practically never left the country. Khrushchev is another matter. He traveled a lot, but it is difficult for me to say anything definite about what gifts Khrushchev took with him. I think it's more about souvenirs. In that era, we prepared monumental gifts for organizations and enterprises, for fraternal parties. As congresses of communist and workers' parties took place in other countries, our party leaders attended them. Within the framework of the congresses, meetings with labor collectives of enterprises and rallies were held. Gifts were also selected to match the events: a sculptural image of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, larger for some, smaller for others. Sometimes it was a picture from Ilyich’s life. Academician Nalbandyan specialized in such works. There were also artists who worked under political orders; such work ensured a comfortable existence and a large number of orders.

Once, when we were preparing for some event held by the French Communist Party, Nalbandian painted the painting “Lenin in the Louvre” at our request. This canvas depicted Lenin at the time when he lived in Paris, looking at one of the Louvre masterpieces. At the same time, Nalbandyan painted another picture: Lenin in the Tainitsky Garden. It depicts Ilyich in full growth, among blossoming cherry and apple trees. This episode could be dated back to the very beginning of the 1920s. And in both paintings he was wearing a polka dot tie. Let me ask you: didn’t Lenin have another tie? The master's reaction was very violent, and I realized that it was better not to ask such questions anymore.

In that era, many kinds of souvenirs were made for fraternal parties. When their representatives came to Moscow for our congresses, they were presented with souvenirs of the same type. I think they are now stored in the storerooms of the Historical Museum or the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia.

When the general secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee and members of the Politburo traveled abroad, a so-called gift group was created during the management of the affairs of the Central Committee, which included employees of the CPSU Central Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When preparing gifts for foreign political figures, their influence in the international arena and support for the foreign policy initiatives of the USSR were taken into account. Sometimes the presentation of souvenirs was designed to change the political mood of the country's leadership.

For this purpose, airliners, hydrofoils, cars, jewelry, paintings, crystal products. Leaders of foreign states were awarded Soviet orders and medals.

Expensive gifts were given, as a rule, to government officials of the so-called developing countries, since developed countries There are value restrictions on accepted gifts, which are strictly monitored by the tax authorities of these countries.

Speaking about international experience in organizing the storage of gifts in the form of artistic, material and documentary values ​​presented to heads of state during the performance of their duties, we can turn to the practice of some foreign countries.

In the United States, gifts whose official value exceeds $250 and which are given to the president and his wife in the course of performing government duties are subject to accounting and are accepted for state custody at the Department of the Treasury. Their subsequent use (exhibitions, transfer to museums, art galleries, etc.) is determined administratively by the White House staff. Among the most valuable gifts and acquisitions, exhibitions can be organized both in the White House and in the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, which is financed from the state budget. Individual items can be used to decorate the interior of the White House and the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Gifts of documents, books and manuscripts at the end of the president's term of office go to his presidential library, which is maintained with public funds. Personal presidential libraries are managed by the National Archives of the United States of America. There is no special museum of gifts to US presidents.

In Great Britain, gifts and valuables presented to the Queen are taken into account and entered into state custody, becoming the property of the nation. Material assets are kept in the Tower and can be displayed at various exhibitions with the consent of the Queen.

Gifts can be reclaimed from the vault and used by the Queen at her discretion during her time as Head of State.

The procedure for senior British officials to receive memorable gifts is regulated by the provisions of the “Code of Rules and Regulations for the Activities of Members of the Government Cabinet”, introduced in July 1997. The document was developed on the personal instructions of Prime Minister E. Blair.

The “Code of Rules” contains a special section “Acceptance of gifts and services”, according to which ministers and other senior officials must be guided by generally recognized and practiced principles. This means: Refrain from accepting gifts, travel, accommodation, or other services from anyone if accepting them creates or suggests that you may be obligated to do so. This rule also applies to the procedure for accepting gifts and services by family members of senior officials.

Ministers and other senior officials are required to inform the permanent deputy minister of the relevant department, that is, the person who is the highest official, about all facts of receiving gifts, regardless of changes in the composition of the government. Gifts whose value does not exceed 140 British pounds may be kept by the recipient for personal use. Expensive gifts must be handed over to the relevant department. As a rule, such gifts are donated free of charge to various charitable societies. Exceptions may occur in cases where:

The recipient is willing to pay the difference between the actual value of the gift and the permitted value limit of £140;

The recipient expresses a desire, as a reciprocal gesture, to present the donor with a gift of similar value and pay for it from his personal funds;

The management of the department makes a decision to include the gift in the permanent exhibition of gifts or to use the gift for official needs;

The fact that the recipient of the gift is transferred to the disposal of his department may be regarded by the giving party as a manifestation of disrespect;

The gift can be used by the recipient in the future and its possession is a demonstration of special courtesy towards the giver.

In such cases, the gift may remain at the disposal of the department to which the recipient belongs for five years.

The document specifically emphasizes that gifts received during business trips abroad and whose total value exceeds the allowance paid in connection with the trip must be declared to customs upon entry into the UK. The decision on the possible imposition of duties on imported gifts falls within the competence of the customs authorities. If you wish to leave the gift in your personal possession, the person importing it fully pays customs costs.

In France, there is no special set of rules that would regulate the receipt by officials of memorable gifts, including from heads of foreign states and governments. Judging by the explanations received from the protocol services of the Elysee Palace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly, the country's top officials are not limited in receiving gifts through official channels. The official who received the gift has the right to decide for himself how to dispose of it.

Thus, Francois Mitterrand handed over the trotter received from the President of Turkmenistan to the State Stud Farm, and Jacques Chirac returned the gold watch received during the G8 meeting in Denver.

François Mitterrand donated the gifts he received to a special museum, which was created on his initiative in the city of Chateau-Chinon in the Nièvre department, from which he was once elected to the National Assembly.

On the other hand, we can talk about the customs and practices that have developed in the country related to ethics civil service. It is not customary, for example, for civil servants to accept gifts worth more than 200–300 dollars (with the minimum wage in the country being about a thousand dollars), as well as gifts that do not fall into the category of souvenirs or items of current use. If it is impossible to avoid accepting a valuable gift, as happens during official visits, it is transferred to the disposal of a higher state administration, which decides on its intended use.

In Soviet protocol practice until 1985, there were no cost restrictions on souvenirs received by citizens. Soviet leaders accepted cars, paintings, carpets, televisions, audio and video systems as gifts. Yes, JI. I. Brezhnev once received a fast American Corvette car as a gift, and this was not the only car presented to our Secretary General.

In the West, of course, they knew about Brezhnev’s love for cars. Moreover, we have never been trendsetters in the automotive industry. In 1971 in France, after Brezhnev’s public speech on the square, he was given a beautiful Renault. I saw this with my own eyes, since I was then part of a tourist group in this square, waving a flag at him.

Among the cars given to Brezhnev were both a Peugeot and a Cadillac. He really loved cars and loved driving. I myself got behind the wheel of a ZIL on the way between Zavidovo and Moscow. It also happened that small accidents happened, somehow hitting a pine tree.

All the donated cars were parked in the Kremlin garage. Brezhnev could not ride them whenever he wanted: neither time nor health allowed. He didn’t give these cars away to his relatives either.

Brezhnev, in addition, had a fairly large collection of guns. He probably took the shotgun he particularly liked with him on a hunt. But, as a rule, all gifts were returned to the Central Committee and handed over to Gokhran. Although, I won’t lie, I know that under Brezhnev, some things were taken from Gokhran, naturally, not the worst, and at state prices, that is, practically for nothing.

Gifts were supposed to be given to Politburo members on their birthdays. It got to the point of ridiculousness: in Brezhnev’s time it was customary to give everyone the same gifts, including the general secretary. At the beginning of the year, they themselves made the decision: this year we will give a “combine”: a TV, a tape recorder and a player. We ordered these “harvesters” from the Minsk Television Plant. When Gorbachev became general secretary, he abandoned this practice.

When I started working in the protocol service of the Central Committee, I was also responsible for the storeroom where gifts were accumulated. The first thing I did was watch it. There was a lot there. After all, it is impossible to spontaneously provide gifts for any event. You need to collect them, you need to have a stash. There, for example, there should be guns, products from Gzhel, souvenirs. In case of a trip to a fraternal country, there should be a portrait of Lenin, a bust of Thälmann, some kind of battle painting, panel. All such gifts are ordered in advance and are waiting in the wings in the pantry.

When perestroika began, we ordered a watch with the inscription on the dial: perestroika. They went out with a bang. This was the most expensive gift made at the Moscow Watch Factory. Chistopol supplied us with women's souvenir watches with enamel.

When we were preparing for visits, two or three gifts were made to order for us. But gifts were supposed to be given not only to the head of the delegation, but also to everyone else, usually 20–30 people. We also took with us small souvenirs for the translators and security. Badges with our symbols, watches, small trinkets, plaques, pens with the autograph of Gorbachev, and later Yeltsin, always went well.

Once a week, artists came to us, brought sketches, and we discussed prices with them. Every time we ordered a batch of souvenirs and gifts so that it would not sit in the pantry. Another thing is that album products could become outdated, so when a new album was released, the old one was collected on an expedition and sent to libraries.

It was necessary to constantly ensure that the pantry was not cluttered.

In those years, I regularly visited all art exhibitions, applied art exhibitions, and art galleries in order to look out for new authors. After all, when ordering a gift, it was necessary to take into account both who would give it and who it would be given to.

Usually, expensive gifts It is customary to do this during a state visit, which, I repeat, can be organized to this country only once for a given head of state. Having received such a gift, you had to think about what to give in return. But nevertheless, strange as it may seem, it is not at all necessary to respond adequately.

From the stories of people who worked for many years in the gift pantry of the Central Committee, I know that there were similar pantries in the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers. They worked in parallel. Souvenir and gift items from Zlatoust, Dulev, Mstera, Palekh, Khokhloma, Gus-Khrustalny, the city of Kasli, the Leningrad Porcelain Factory, Tula hunting weapons and samovars were kept there. There were Vologda laces and Orenburg shawls. All works of art were quite accessible at that time. The best Palekh boxes cost no more than 200–250 rubles.

In preparation for M. S. Gorbachev's first foreign visit as General Secretary, I laid out all the gifts and souvenirs that we were going to take with us, starting from the main gift and ending with what we had prepared for the security officers. Particular attention was paid to the main gift. Everything else was souvenirs with our symbols. When choosing gifts, we proceeded from the principle of not giving representatives of other countries products that, or perhaps better, are made in their country. We didn't bring porcelain to Japan. If we were already bringing the finest products of the Leningrad Porcelain Factory to some country, we knew for sure that our partners would be able to appreciate our school and our craftsmanship. When Mikhail Sergeevich visited the Queen of England for the first time, we learned that the royal family collects porcelain. We ordered a wonderful tête-à-tête with our state symbols.

We were constantly looking for souvenirs for the head of state. Naturally, we made inquiries about what his wife’s hobbies were. A gift is a very subtle thing, it is a whole science. This is where newspaper information comes into play. We learned that Ronald Reagan was very fond of horses. While visiting the Oval Office of the White House, I noticed that it was filled with images of horses. And we also learned that the American president is collecting saddles. We found out that the best saddles in our country are made by Kyrgyz craftsmen, and we ordered a saddle from them. It was made of different leathers, lined, and trimmed with inlay. He liked the gift very much, and Reagan, as is customary throughout the world, wrote a letter of gratitude to Gorbachev.

Some heads of state collected stamps and chess. Here we had to show ingenuity: you won’t surprise anyone with ordinary chess. But the Soviet brands were very good. We ordered special notebooks for them.

We ordered all kinds of souvenir sets for other members of the foreign delegation. For example, a bottle of vodka and a jar of red and black caviar; very beautiful Kremlin chocolate sets, which were a pleasure to give to the children in the orphanage and to the women who served us. There were souvenir cognacs in special bottles. Then we had a large choice, it could be Moldavian, Armenian, or Georgian cognacs, with or without glasses.

We didn’t take the “Red Moscow” perfume to Paris, but when we went to Cuba or any Latin American country, it was one of the best gifts for women.

It was important to even consider which country preferred which color. For example, there was no point in going to Germany with Gzhel, since they also have traditional white and blue dishes. Such questions were studied in detail, since it was impossible to get into trouble with gifts. We had two or three employees who specialized in such delicate work for many years. One of them, the main one, was Alexander Marshalov, a well-educated man, an intellectual, and a good draftsman. He had an art school and the Institute of Foreign Languages ​​behind him.

The pantry was gradually replenished. Already famous and emerging artists worked on our orders. We commissioned young Alexander Shilov to paint a landscape for Margaret Thatcher. Sculptors did small things for us, for example, young Viktor Sonin, the author of the tombstone monument to Yu. V. Andropov on Red Square. The range of artists we attracted was wide. We made sure to tell them who their work was donated to.

We worked on souvenirs with specific enterprises; we had a plan for the year ahead. In addition, there was the strictest control over execution, and I knew that if I made such an order, such products would not appear anywhere else. Now everything has become possible.

Souvenir products were constantly updated. We kept strict records; a special book recorded who was given what when, so as not to repeat things. Now such accounting is carried out using a computer.

We have only recently begun to use our symbols more boldly. Previously, it was impossible to simply go to a store and buy a flag of the Soviet Union. For some reason, it was assumed in advance that the person buying this flag was pursuing unseemly goals. Buy in America American flag You can buy it in any store, almost every family has it, and on national holidays Americans hang it on the balcony, on the roof, on the flagpole.

Recently, we began to order souvenir badges with two flags, Russian and the country with which the summit is being held.

In our country, when preparing a gift for a member of the Politburo, we showed it to an assistant who knew the tastes of our boss well and consulted with him. At that time, there were restrictions on spending: roughly 1,000 rubles could be spent on a gift for the general, and 800 rubles could be spent on members of the Politburo.

At one of the Moscow factories there was a workshop that specialized in packaging gifts and souvenirs. Today this can be done in any store; previously such services were not available. Before packaging, we carefully inspected each product; if we found defective products, we exchanged them. There was especially a lot of trouble with Khokhloma: wood is a capricious material and can crack at any moment.

Each gift was inspected several times. One day, upon arrival, we discovered a crack on a crystal dish that we planned to give as a gift. Fortunately, I had some things in reserve, and no disaster occurred.

On our foreign visit, we took with us ready-made, labeled envelopes with cards. We and the French were famous for our excellent calligraphers. Each gift must include a business card from the president. The French wrote it by hand, in script. Nowadays this is done on a computer. The group responsible for gifts and souvenirs takes a computer and printer with them and prints everything on site.

During Gorbachev’s time, all gifts worth more than $500: brooches, watches, boxes - were handed over to Gokhran. Some of these gifts were exhibited at the Museum of the Revolution (now the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia). In total, about two to three thousand titles were submitted.

Today they are writing about the bribe that Gorbachev allegedly received in South Korea along with the box given to him. This is confirmed by Mr. Boldin, because for some reason the money in question ended up in his safe. This story seems implausible to me. I handed the neatly packed box with my own hands to Mikhail Sergeevich, and he, apparently, to someone else. I don’t understand much in this story, especially the main thing: what kind of support for the Soviet Union could South Korea seek in this way?

They are also now saying that Gorbachev was allegedly given an inflated Nobel Prize, in the form of a hidden bribe or something. But it wasn’t he who flew for the bonus, and when the money was brought to him, the bulk of this amount was assigned to children’s institutions in my presence. Gifts that cost less than $500 were donated to orphanages and businesses.

At one time, Yeltsin was given rackets, but they also gave him guns, knowing his love for hunting. Americans and Czechs make excellent hunting rifles. They were given, of course, by those who produce them. By the way, our weapons from the Tula and Izhevsk arms factories are also excellent. In Tula, as a rule, hunting guns were made with unique inlay on the gun itself and the butt.

Boris Nikolaevich then distributed donated rackets to children's sports schools and to friends who played sports. He had two or three favorites, but the rackets break quickly and often have to be replaced.

Yeltsin donated sculptures, paintings, and books to the presidential library in the Kremlin, where rare books presented to him at one time and official gifts made during meetings with foreign leaders, as well as with heads of state of the CIS members, are kept.

Presenting souvenirs sometimes causes a lot of problems for the receiving party, especially with so-called spontaneous gifts, when, without notifying the guest’s protocol service, a foreign visitor suddenly decides to personally give the president a memorable gift. Such actions of foreign guests also baffle the security service, which does not have time to check the contents of the gift. This happened, for example, when some Arab leaders personally presented swords made of Damascus steel to the Soviet leadership.

In international practice, it is customary to discuss the issue of presenting memorable souvenirs and gifts during negotiations with the preparatory group. Typically, the protocol services of both parties agree on the simultaneous transfer of souvenirs. Souvenirs of the receiving party are delivered to the guest’s residence and handed over to the representative of the protocol service of the foreign delegation. The guest's protocol service, in turn, delivers souvenirs to the expedition of the presidential protocol department.

When choosing gifts, it is customary to take into account the national traditions of the country the guest represents, his age, state of health, hobbies and much more.

Gift packaging should not be too flashy, aesthetically pleasing and neat. As a rule, they are wrapped in thick paper in neutral tones and tied with colored ribbons. In some cases, the colors of the ribbons match the colors national flag country presenting souvenirs.

A well-chosen gift sometimes becomes an important element in making international contacts at the highest level. For example, after Yeltsin gave the American president candlesticks that fit well into the interior of the White House, Clinton sent him a letter of gratitude. The American president was greatly pleased by the porcelain Gzhel figurine presented to him by Yeltsin, depicting Clinton with a saxophone.

As I already said, in the United States a high-level government official does not have the right to take a gift that costs more than 250 dollars (at one time it was 150). It is even customary to publish lists of gifts given to the president. It is clear that it is difficult to determine the value of these gifts, especially since even the protocol service through which they pass does not see them at all: after all, all gifts are given packaged, and sometimes at a personal meeting. It happened that we handed over silver items received as gifts to Gokhran, and they were returned to us: it turned out that the things were not silver and were of no value to Gokhran. By the way, I didn’t see some of our gifts, the same Kyrgyz saddle, on the American lists.

Among the successful gifts one can also mention the samovar made by Tula craftsmen presented to the Queen of England; Jacques Chirac, who speaks Russian, was once given the complete collection of Pushkin’s works; for a photography enthusiast, Hashimoto - an album of photographs dedicated to the restoration of the Kremlin.

Serious mistakes in the protocol service of the head of state are associated with gifts. In Denver, for example, all the heads of state of the G8 were given a Rolex with diamonds worth either 50 or 60 thousand dollars. This was not a gift from the President of the United States, but from the manufacturing company. Almost all the heads of the G8, without saying a word, returned the watches, including the Russian and American presidents.

Instructions

Find out the flight number and arrival time. Check this information right up to the passenger's departure, as the flight may be delayed, and then you will have to spend several hours in vain at the airport. The ideal option is a message from the plane just before takeoff. Knowing the approximate travel time, you will always be able to calculate what time you need to arrive at the airport.

Add at least half an hour to your arrival time. Passengers will disembark the plane, go through passport control, and receive their luggage. Such a reserve is required in order, again, not to waste extra time waiting.

When you arrive at the airport, go to the arrivals hall. all metal frames, follow the flight arrival information screens. Match the flight number and arrival time you need with the gate number and go to it. It is from there that the passenger you are expecting will leave. Of course, it is possible to transfer your flight to another gate, so check the information on the board periodically. Many airports only have one entryway for arriving passengers, so you'll have to be on guard for someone you know in the crowd.

If you come to meet a passenger by car, leave it in the parking lot near the departure halls, not the arrival halls. Near the latter there is always a huge queue of cars waiting for you, and you will lose a lot of time just to get out of there. Having met a passenger, go to the exit in the departure hall and calmly leave the airport without standing in line.

If you plan to take a taxi after the meeting, it is better to go to the departure halls as well. You can save a considerable amount, since there are usually cars there that brought passengers and do not want to go to the city empty. Therefore, drivers will agree to reduce the price by up to two times.

Please your friend who has just returned. The meeting itself will already bring a lot of pleasure, but it can be intensified many times over. If you meet a girl, be sure to buy a bouquet of flowers. It is better to do this in advance, as prices at the airport will be many times higher. When meeting a couple or a group, make something like a sign or poster with their first or last names. Of course, you can always add creativity and cheer up your tired friends after a flight.

Helpful advice

If there are a lot of people in the passenger waiting room, feel free to head to the departure hall. It will be much freer there, and you will easily find yourself a chair.

In our crazy life, there is less and less time left to meet with family and friends. These rare meetings need to be organized so that they are positive.

Instructions

If they come from afar, then they are needed if there is a need for it. You need to think about where you will place them. Plan your day to make time for the meeting. Warn other acquaintances (colleagues, relatives) so as not to disturb you again.

Find out if friends have business in your city. Otherwise, there may be a conflict between your plans and theirs. This can lead to unnecessary resentment. If possible, agree on the program of your friends' stay in advance.

If guests come to you for a long time, be prepared to adjust your lifestyle. Be patient and try not to show your irritation to your friends. Each person has his own habits. Even if they cause you inconvenience, remember that these are your friends and for the sake of friendship you can sacrifice something.

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It had been many months since you last saw him, and the only communication you had was long letters filled with love, anticipation and longing for each other. And so he returns, proud, handsome, in uniform... How to meet him so that both of you remember this day for a long time?

Instructions

Prepare in advance by choosing the most beautiful and feminine dress. Guys really miss seeing people in trousers every day, so make him doubly pleased: in addition to the fact that he sees you, you will look like a real woman, gentle and desirable.

Together with your relatives and friends, go to meet your loved one at the station. It is important that with joyful cries, hugs and your loving eyes, then his heart will calm down, he will understand that they were waiting for him, loved and were faithful.

After the meeting, as a rule, everyone goes home in a cheerful group, where a table and a variety of treats and drinks are prepared in advance. You should be present at this event so that we can now proudly and happily consider you a member of our team. Moreover, be sure that at the table he will say a few words to you, and who knows, maybe it will be a proposal?

After a family feast, when the parents have had enough of their son, go for a walk with your loved one. This is the time when you need to re-invent yourself to some extent. You haven’t seen each other for a long period, and over these months everything has changed. Walk through memorable places in the city, stop by the park. At this time, tell each other everything that you really wanted to say before, but did not have the opportunity.

After the walk, it was time for a romantic dinner for two. It is most correct if this meeting takes place at home, if no one is there, or in a booked hotel room. Prepare the place in advance, set the table with a light snack and wine. Romantic music that accompanies your leisurely conversations and dim lighting - all this will create a unique atmosphere for two lovers.

When you enter the room, try to throw away all plans, give in to spontaneity and feeling. Everything that happens next, behind closed doors, is just your story, the ending of which you do not know. Be as gentle as possible with your man, do not raise important issues, but simply admire each other, dance and love. This is your night. The one you've been waiting for so long.

The service time has flown by, and you are already looking forward to meeting your loved one. You are overwhelmed with joy, and at the same moment you feel excitement about the upcoming meeting. to yours young man it is doubly difficult, since for a long time he was far from his family, friends and from you, his beloved girl. It is in the first meeting that you need to show all your love and loyalty, and also help him adapt to the “new” life in civilian life.

Instructions

Try to meet yours at the station. The first minutes of meeting after a long separation are of great importance for both of you. They will forever remain in your memory. The first is always very emotional: you are overwhelmed with emotions, your heart is ready to burst out of your chest. At this moment, he will only think that his beloved was waiting for him. Now for him you are not just a beloved girl who wrote letters to, but practically a bride for whom he will be ready to do anything. If you want to tell him words of love and tenderness, don’t be shy, it’s very important for him. While the service was going on, you both thought about what you would say to each other when you first meet, but now, when your eyes met, all your thoughts were immediately confused. Don't worry, it happens. The main thing is to listen to your heart, it will tell you.

Plan your day. Be prepared for the fact that your boyfriend will want you to visit him together, go to a meeting with him. It is very important for him at this moment to show everyone that you are the best, that you were able to wait for him after so much time and preserve your feelings. To avoid problems, take a day off from work or take time off from lectures in advance.

Spend the whole day together. After endless visits to family and friends, you can finally be alone. A lot has changed over the course of your service, including you. You haven’t seen each other for too long, during this time your views on life and worldview have changed. The most important thing is that you still love each other. It is no coincidence that they say that the army is a test for feelings. You now have a difficult task - you need to get used to each other again, find out what has changed. During the day, you can walk around the city together to your favorite places with which you have romantic memories. This “trip into the past” will bring you closer and revive your feelings. After the walk, you can smoothly move on to dinner.

Make your romantic evening unforgettable. It's best to spend this time at home. The cozy home environment that he has dreamed of for so long will undoubtedly make you more inclined to communicate. Take care of the atmosphere: cover the table with a white tablecloth, decorate it with rose petals, light candles. Let romantic music play in the background. You must be impeccable: sexy dress, alluring perfume. Bring back the most pleasant memories in him. Flirt with each other, say kind words. Don't be shy about your emotions. How this evening goes will largely determine how your future relationship will develop.