Meeting at the airport delegation phrases. Airport Taxi

Accepting foreign partners is exciting and very responsible. Especially if they arrive on an official visit. In order not to hit the dirt in the face, a solemn event should be carefully prepared.

  Protocol rules now seem somewhat old-fashioned. But not observing them is as stupid as not taking off your hat at the entrance to the church or shoes at the entrance to the mosque. In fact, not everything is so pointless in these solemn trifles ...

Ffrench diplomat Jules Cambon

It is necessary to draw up a program for the stay of foreign guests and organize a reception for them on the basis of generally accepted protocol practice. The business protocol establishes norms and rules of behavior, helps to clarify the relations of the parties, and therefore, quickly reach an agreement on all issues. Improper seating of guests, violation of the order of negotiations can ruin the relationship between business partners. To prevent this from happening, try to take into account all the nuances.

TYPES OF VISITS

First, determine what type of visit is planned. The degree of solemnity of the reception is traditionally distinguished:

• official visits;
• work visits;
• private visits.

In addition, state visits (visits of heads of state) and visits by passage are distinguished.

We will take a closer look at official and working visits.

Official visit  distinguished by special significance and solemnity. It includes a large number of ceremonies and events. During an official visit, issues of long-term cooperation are usually resolved, the main directions of joint work on important promising projects are determined.

Working visitimplies that guests arrive with specific business goals: to conduct negotiations, consultations, working meetings, sign contracts and agreements. Unlike the official one, a working visit does not take so much time and all events within its framework are carried out with a more modest protocol design.

VISIT PREPARATION

The visit of a foreign delegation is agreed upon in advance by the parties so that sufficient time is left for preparation. In especially solemn and important cases, representatives of a foreign company arrive in the country in advance to take part in the preparation of the reception, check the condition of all the objects and places of visit, evaluate the conditions of accommodation and service.

Parties should discuss:

• exact dates of the visit;
• number and composition of delegations;
• the procedure for entering the country (border, customs control);
• visit program;
• organizational and financial issues (payment for hotels, meals, transportation, etc.).

It is necessary to determine all items of expenditure, draw up a preliminary estimate of admission, include unforeseen expenses in it, and coordinate with management.
Important! Make sure that the arrival and departure of the foreign delegation does not occur on weekends or holidays. Otherwise, ensuring the necessary level of solemnity will not be easy.

Documents for entry

Before the visit of representatives of a foreign state, it is necessary to quickly and legally competently resolve a number of issues: take care of the preparation of entry documents, take into account the peculiarities of border and customs control, migration registration. In some cases, guests may need an official invitation or assistance with issuing an entry visa.

Visit program

Usually two programs are compiled:

• general - for guests;
• detailed (working) - for the organizers of the reception.

If the visit is official, the program for spouses of members of the delegation may be included in the general program. The general program is a schedule of activities for foreign partners, scheduled daily by hours. At the beginning of the visit, the organizers present the guests with a general program in Russian and in the guests' native language. It includes:

• delegation meeting;
• business part of the program (negotiations, working meetings, conversations);
• receptions (breakfast, lunch, etc.);
• cultural program;
• seeing the delegation. A detailed program describes the organizational aspects associated with the reception:
• border and customs control;
• the composition of the meeting and seeing off;
• participation of representatives of the press, radio, television (if necessary);
• flower delivery;
• baggage delivery;
• transport for guests;
• seating arrangements for cars;
• traffic police escort (if necessary);
• accommodation in a hotel or residence;
• nutrition;
• the work of translators;
• order of speaking at negotiations, etc.

After finalizing the program of the visit, it is necessary to supplement it with reference and explanatory materials - make plans for the meeting and seeing off the delegation, all official protocol events, accommodating guests with addresses, phone numbers and numbers of cars assigned to them

For each item in the program, the name of the responsible person with contact details should be indicated.

The composition of the meeting

To determine the composition of persons meeting foreign partners, it is necessary according to the following rules:

• Together with the head of the host delegation, guests are met by 2-3 company representatives. These may be heads of individual services, specialists, as well as a translator,
• The ranks and positions of the heads of both delegations should correspond to each other, i.e. if the head of a foreign company arrives, then he must be met by the head of the host company,
• If the head of the foreign delegation arrives with his spouse, then the head of the host delegation also meets with his spouse.

Official visit: program for spouses of delegates

If the head of the delegation arrives with the spouse, the organizers of the visit can draw up a separate program for her, similar to the program for the spouse, or provide for events in the general program - plan visits to museums, exhibitions, cultural and art monuments, as well as schools, orphanages, boarding schools ( at the request of the guest).
In addition, the program for the female part of the delegation may include an official tea party in honor of the guests.

MEETING GUESTS: AT THE AIRPORT, AT THE STATION, AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CITY

Host representatives usually arrive at the venue in advance and wait for guests to arrive. At the meeting, men give the ladies flowers fully packed in cellophane so that the pollen does not stain their clothes and does not cause allergies.

At some airports, you can arrange a car directly to the ramp.

The meeting takes place at the ramp (at the train car):

• At the airport building (train station) a motorcade of cars and buses is being built for the delegation;
• At the airport (at the station) the flags of the country of guests, the Russian Federation and Moscow, or of the region where the delegation arrives, are raised;
• At the gangway of the aircraft and at the entrance to the airport VIP lounge (or before leaving the train carriage), carpet paths are laid out. Those who meet are lined up at the beginning of the carpet in accordance with protocol seniority.

The orchestra will emphasize the solemnity of the moment at the meeting of foreign guests.

When an official delegation arrives in Moscow or another region by road, the meeting takes place at the entrance to the city. No formal protocol event is foreseen. At the meeting, a brief conversation of a protocol nature is possible, about which the parties agree in advance. In addition, an official visit is usually accompanied by protocol photography.

Flags

Several flags are hoisted simultaneously on separate flagpoles in alphabetical order by country names. The ratio of the size of the flagpole and flag is 1: 6.
The status of flags is determined in the following order (from highest to lowest):

• flags of international organizations;
• state flags;
• flags of the federal executive authorities of the Russian Federation;
• flags of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
• flags of municipalities;
• flags of organizations, enterprises, associations;
• other flags (including those not officially approved and decorative).

Given the status of flags, the following rules must be observed:

• flag flags of the same status should be the same size;
• high status flags should not be less than low status flags;
• flags of lower status do not raise above flags of higher status;
• flags should not touch the ground or floor.

The flag of the official delegation of any state takes pride of place relative to the flag of the Russian Federation.
With an odd number of flags, the State flag of the Russian Federation is located in the center, it is hoisted at a higher flagpole, other flags depending on their status:

• second position - to the left of the State flag;
• the third is to his right;
• the fourth is to the left of the second position;
• fifth - to the right of the third, etc.

With an even number of flags (more than two), the State flag of the Russian Federation is placed to the left of the center, other flags depending on their status:

• the second position is to the right of the center;
• the third - to the left of the State flag;
• the fourth - to the right of the second position, etc.

The national flag and the flag in the second position are raised on higher flagpoles.
With a large number of equivalent flags, they are placed in alphabetical order.
Flags on the walls and conference tables are set by analogy with the flags on the flagpoles. Wherein:

• The flag on the wall is hung in the unfolded form with a banner to the right of the back of the person sitting at the table.
• The flag on the table is placed on a special stand on the right hand of the seated person.
• The flags on the stands should be at the same height and the same size.

Greeting and Presentation

Delegation arrangements include greetings, handshakes, and introductions.

• The head of the host delegation is the first to welcome everyone. If his wife came with him, then he represents her too;
• The next is the head of the arriving delegation and introduces his spouse;
• The head of the host delegation represents the persons accompanying him - members of the delegation who have arrived to meet the guests by rank (descending);
• The head of the arriving delegation will likewise represent the members of his delegation.

If there are women among those who meet, then they are represented by rank and in the first place.

During the presentation, men, as a rule, shake hands, women do so by mutual desire.

• When shaking hands, a woman first gives a hand to a man. The same priority is given to older people in relation to the young and the heads of the delegation in relation to the rest of its members.
• The right hand should be extended for a handshake. An exception is not made even for lefties.
• Stretching a few fingers instead of a hand or fingertips is tactless.
• A man with a handshake takes off the glove from his right hand. This rule applies to women only when they greet each other. If one of the women took off the glove for a handshake, the other follows her example.
• If a woman or a senior in position (age) does not offer a hand, bow slightly.

A warm meeting is the basis for a friendly atmosphere in the process of work, so the head of the company should meet and greet foreign guests at a gala reception. The rest of the time, other employees may be involved.

At the official visit, the procedure for greetings and presentations is the same.

Appeal

From the first minutes of the visit, observe the rules of etiquette when contacting arriving guests. The forms of treatment, adopted in many countries, are quite complex, determined by national traditions and cultural characteristics.

• It is customary to contact a citizen of another country with “sir” and call him by his last name, for example, “Mr. Johnson”.
• In most countries, men with state status, military rank, diplomatic rank, and academic degree are addressed without mentioning the name and surname: “Mr. President,” “Mr. Colonel,” “Mr. Secretary.” The exception is Germany, where in such a case the surname still joins: "Mr. Dr. Wolf."
• Women should be addressed by the name of the husband. With complex and unpronounceable names, you can resort to the international form of "Madame."
• The appeal "sir" can be used in relation to older people, to those who occupy a higher position, as well as to well-known, high-ranking persons in order to avoid frequent repetition of their official ranks and ranks.

WAY TO THE HOTEL

Guests must be provided with transport so that they can move freely during the visit. In addition, you need to help them arrange, receive and deliver baggage from the airport or train station to the hotel.

Official visit: by car!

After the ceremony, the head of the host delegation accompanies the guests in the car in accordance with the program of the visit. If the head of the foreign delegation arrives with the spouse, she is accompanied in a separate car by the spouse of the head of the host delegation.

• By car, the heads of the foreign delegation set the flags of the guest’s home country, the Russian Federation and Moscow or another region where the delegation arrived.
• When landing, the car stops with the right side to the sidewalk. If it cannot be served in this way, the passenger who sits in the seat of honor uses the left door.
• When disembarking, the car drives up so that guests exit through the right door. The most honored guest comes out first, followed by everyone else.
• Before boarding and alighting, guests must open the door, and then close it behind them. This obligation is performed by the driver, translator or someone from the accompanying persons.

The luggage of guests is a special employee.

Accompanying foreign delegates to the hotel, do not leave them at the entrance - this is impolite, guests may have problems when checking in. But they should not be escorted to the rooms - they can take it as a duty to invite you to a cup of tea or coffee. It is best to say goodbye to guests in the lobby of the hotel, agreeing on the time of the meeting.

Seating in cars

The first place of honor - in the rear seat on the right in the direction of the car. The most honored guest sits on it, and next to him on the left side is the second guest by status. An interpreter sits near the driver.

If a private car is used as a vehicle, and the head of the host company acts as a driver, then a place of honor next to the driver will be a place of honor for the guest. This place is considered honorable and during a city tour as the most convenient place for viewing.

ACCOMMODATION OF GUESTS

Members of foreign delegations can be accommodated in a guest residence or hotel, this must first be agreed with the arriving party.

The main criteria when choosing hotels:

• license and high classification level (4-5 "stars");
• impeccable reputation;
• rich experience in conducting protocol events;
• certificate for all services (production and sale of own products, drinks, etc.);
• professionally trained and tested staff of the highest qualification. Chefs, waiters, head waiter and other employees must have documents confirming qualifications and medical books with "access" to work (marks on inspection, analyzes, etc.);
• comfortable and beautiful meeting rooms, including closed (confidential);
• places for press conferences and meetings with journalists, the public, etc .;
• transport services for guests and guests;
• convenient car parking;
• additional services: washing, ironing, dry cleaning, hairdresser, fitness center, sauna, etc .;
• own medical care - first aid and medical specialists (ambulances);
• air and railway ticket offices, places of sale of theater and concert tickets, tickets for exhibitions, excursions.
• technical equipment of the halls:
  - bright lighting;
  - sound reinforcement system;
  - sound recording and video recording system;
  - simultaneous translation system (in 3-5 languages);
  - the possibility of relaying for the press protocol events from restaurant halls and representative rooms in the halls and lobbies of the hotel;
  - ventilation and air conditioning system;
  - storage system of valuables;
  - elevators for lifting and escorting official guests (including individual spare elevators).

The hotel administration, which is supposed to accommodate distinguished guests, needs to agree on communications, Internet, computer services, document reproduction, accommodation and meals for accompanying persons and drivers (if necessary), and special vehicles.

Official visit: guest accommodation

• The flag of the country he represents may be raised above the residence or hotel building where the head of the foreign delegation will live.
• At the entrance of the guest of honor the hotel director meets and accompanies him to the room, while the elevator is delayed in advance on the ground floor.
• An employee of the hotel floor service meets an honored guest on the corresponding floor, welcomes and shows the direction of movement along the corridor to the room. The room must be open in advance, and it includes all the lights, flowers, fruits, drinks, curtains and curtains on the windows are open.
• The director of the hotel or his deputy briefly explains to the guest what sights are visible from his room, answers possible questions.

Personal questions, requests and suggestions to the distinguished guest are prohibited.

Representatives of the host party who accompany honored guests on the program of the visit need to know the basic rules and rules of the protocol, to show the honored guests sincere respect, cordiality, attention and hospitality.

CONVERSATION

How to prepare for negotiations:

• Determine the time allotted for negotiations;
• In advance, coordinate with guests the issues of press participation, audio and video recordings, simultaneous interpretation during negotiations, the use of special communications, the Internet, computer services, and document reproduction.
• At the seat of each guest, put a couvert card with his name and position. As a rule, on the front side of the card there is an inscription in the language of the host country or in English (sometimes a transcription is given in brackets), and on the back there is an inscription in the guests ’native language.
• On the table for each participant, prepare the necessary stationery (notebooks, pens), a bottle of water (it is not customary to put water with gas), a glass.

Among the employees of the protocol service there are disputes as to whether to put a napkin under a glass. No common opinion has yet been found, so at different events you can meet both options, and sometimes a third - a napkin covers a glass. Bottles are placed in groups along the length of the table.

In addition, flowers in low vases can stand on tables. Depending on the shape of the table, they are located in the center or along its edges.

If negotiations last for a long time, during the break you can serve refreshments: tea, coffee, sandwiches, fruits.

During negotiations or at a subsequent appointment, it is customary to exchange business cards.

Official visit: negotiation process

• Small flags of the country of the guests, the Russian Federation, Moscow or the region where the delegation arrived are set on the negotiating table. Large flags may be placed behind the heads of delegations.
• At the entrance, the delegation is met by a representative of the host country. He escorts guests to the room where the negotiations will be held. At the beginning of the meeting, an exchange of welcome words takes place.
• Before starting negotiations, the heads of delegations should introduce their participants. Next, everything goes according to the agenda.
• If the parties plan to sign the documents in a festive atmosphere, they determine the leader and two assistants for the ceremony.
• When breaks are provided in the negotiation process, refreshments are prepared in a separate room for guests. If this is not possible, the dishes are brought into the room where negotiations are being held. The treat is personally presented only to the heads of delegations. The rest are served by themselves.
• As a result of the event, as a rule, an exchange of souvenirs is provided.
• After negotiations, a press conference is held. Usually it lasts from 20 minutes to 1 hour. If a press conference is not held, negotiators can answer several questions from journalists. This should not take more than 15 minutes.

Seating at the negotiating table

Negotiators must be seated in accordance with generally accepted rules, taking into account their ranks and official position. The host party develops and agrees in advance with the arriving party a seating plan for the participants in meetings and conversations at the negotiating table according to protocol seniority.
As a rule, the heads of delegations are located in the center of the table opposite each other, and then the other members of the delegation by rank.

If three or more parties participate in the negotiations, then they are seated alphabetically in a clockwise direction around a round or rectangular table.
If this is a two-person negotiation, then they sit opposite each other, on the left side of each is an interpreter. At some events, the translator sits a little behind. The receiving side usually sits with its back to the window and facing the entrance.

CULTURAL PROGRAM

During the visit, guests can be invited to visit theaters, museums, organize excursions or walks around the city for them. Their duration depends on the interests, age and state of health of the members of the delegation.
In the case of an official visit of the highest level, flowers will be laid.

Official visit: visit to the theater

• In the theater, together with the distinguished guest, the head of the host delegation is in the box.
• On both sides of the box are the state flags of the Russian Federation and the country of the guests. Before the start of the performance, the national anthems of the guest country and the Russian Federation are performed.
• Programs and libretto printed in Russian and the language of the country of the guests are pre-arranged in the box.
• All members of the delegation are seated in accordance with protocol seniority.
• During the intermission, refreshments (champagne, fruits) are provided.
• At the end of the performance, baskets of flowers are delivered to the stage on behalf of the guests and the host. And also a meeting with leading artists or directors can take place.

BUSINESS Tricks

Reception on behalf of the management of the host company in honor of foreign guests is an obligatory part of the visit program. Business receptions play a large role, as they continue the same discussions as at the negotiating table, only in a more relaxed and relaxed atmosphere. Therefore, the organization of receptions, behavior and forms of communication should be given close attention to them and do not forget about the rules of business etiquette.

According to international practice, receptions are divided into daytime and evening, as well as receptions with seating at the table and without it. Daytime receptions are considered less solemn than evening ones.

Daily Receptions:

• “Glass of champagne” (“glass of wine”);
• breakfast.

Evening receptions:

• buffet table
• cocktail;
• lunch (buffet lunch);
• dinner.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are strictly arranged. When organizing receptions “lunch buffet” or “tea”, seating is quite free, although tables are usually served in advance.

Invitations

Invitations to receptions are sent no later than 1-2 weeks before admission. They must be printed in a typographical manner on letterhead or cards in the Russian language and the national language of the guests.

For receptions on the occasion of a national holiday or in honor of any statesman or delegation, special forms are ordered.
Depending on the specific circumstances, invitations are sent by courier or mail. It is recommended that you send out an invitation to officials and eminent personalities by courier.

GIVING MEMORIAL GIFTS AND WIRES

Memorable gifts should correspond to the occupation, meet the interests and style of the person to whom they are intended. When choosing a gift, it is important to take into account the national traditions of the country the guest represents, his age, and hobbies.

It is better to ask in advance what exactly a particular person is interested in (he collects rare stamps or edged weapons), what are his views and beliefs. For example, V.V. Putin once received a fishing spinning kit as a gift from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

If the guest is a supporter of Greenpeace, do not be original and give him a living teddy bear.

Religion of representatives of a foreign delegation also needs to be considered. For example, such a gift as an icon will be extremely inappropriate for guests from a Muslim country.

In 2013, V.V. While on a visit to the Vatican, Putin presented the Pope with the icon of the Mother of God and received a majolica with a picture of the Vatican Gardens as a gift.

When they met in June 2015, the Pope gifted V.V. Putin received a medal depicting an angel of peace and justice, and the President of Russia presented a clergyman with a panel depicting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and several volumes of the Orthodox Encyclopedia.
It is possible to make a gift to foreign partners with a national flavor: a tea set by Gzhel masters or Khokhloma painting. A frequent present are works of art.

Gift wrapping is of great importance. It should not be too catchy, beautiful and neat. As a rule, gifts are wrapped in thick paper of neutral tones and tied with colored ribbons. In some cases, the colors of the ribbons coincide with the colors of the state flag of the country where the visit takes place, or with the corporate colors of the host company.

The repetition of gifts should be avoided. This is considered a serious violation of etiquette.

Official visit: souvenirs

During official visits, the protocol services of both parties agree in advance on the simultaneous transfer of souvenirs.

According to the protocol, a woman can be given a box of chocolates, a book, a bouquet of flowers, chocolate, and a man can get a branded pen or tie. However, these rules are sometimes violated. Often, guests are presented with a weapon as a gift: a sword, a saber, or even a machine gun.

In addition, they give musical instruments (especially rare or national), handicrafts, watches (personalized or wall watches), rare items (typewriter, Soviet periodicals of a particular period, etc.)

As for the return gifts, it is worth noting the guests that, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, government officials can accept commemorative souvenirs, the cost of which does not exceed three thousand rubles.

When making a personal gift to an official, you need to make sure that the addressee can keep it for himself. For example, most of the gifts received by the president of the Russian Federation are sent to the presidential library. According to the established procedure, all gifts made to the first person of the state are the property of the state. Under the law, the president can take only that gift, the cost of which does not exceed the amount of five minimum monthly wages (minimum wage).

The order of the wires of the foreign delegation corresponds to the order of its meeting. If the visit is official, then at the airport (at the station) the flags of the country of guests, the Russian Federation and Moscow or the region where the meeting took place are raised. A small buffet reception can be arranged.

When guests drive off cars, the head of the host delegation must drive them to his city car (the border of the region) in his car.

Some minor changes to the order of wires can be made only at the request of the guests.

Tatyana Baranova  - at different times, she held the positions of a personal and business assistant, administrative director, chief of staff, head of the family office and others. Administrative experience - more than 9 years. She worked in the structure of Gazprom, took part in the preparation of the presidential campaign, worked under the leadership of a businessman from the first five Forbes.

In addition to the basic translation education, she received the Harzburg diploma of the Academy of Economics and Management, passed advanced training in the field of international business protocol and etiquette (MGIMO).

What each student will receive:

Practical knowledge and skills in the field of business protocol and etiquette,
  Certificate confirming the passage of intensive in the School of personal assistants,
  Presentations of lectures: revise training materials at any convenient time and refresh knowledge.

Cost of education:  14 000 rubles

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

It seems to be nothing complicated - to meet a delegation or a group of tourists at the airport, get to know each other, take them to the hotel and place them. If the translator does not perform any function other than translation, and at the same time there is a specialist protocol specialist (secretary, etc.), then usually there are no problems.

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

• with whom from the delegation (group) to discuss protocol issues and daily routines?
• what to do with foreigners on the way to the place of accommodation?
• what to do with them throughout the day?
• to whom and how to pay for small and unforeseen expenses?

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

How to prepare and what to do?

Before you meet at the airport, you need to find out a number of questions from the host company or organization:

1. With whom in the host company the translator can contact on matters relating to the arriving 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 in advance as much as possible - even gender and age).
4. What is the purpose of the arrival of foreigners, their status.
5. If you do not have to accept tourists, but a commercial or state delegation - who exactly is its head, and which particular 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 in addition - food, cultural program, etc.).
7. Financial issues - whether the receiving party takes on any unforeseen and small expenses, whether the translator should pay them, and whether the appropriate budget will be allocated to him.

This, of course, is not a complete list of issues, but a priority one. In general, the more a translator will clarify for himself at a host company, the better. But the first thing is to know who to contact in an emergency.

The algorithm of actions of the translator at the meeting of the delegation

At the meeting of the delegation at the airport, you must immediately introduce yourself to the head of the delegation and ask who it is more convenient to contact with on the protocol and organizational issues.

When making a transfer, you can incidentally talk about what foreigners see - they are almost always interested in it, especially those who came to the country for the first time. At the same time, it’s worth trying to conduct a conversation not only as a guide, but also to talk about the life of the city, its pressing problems. This is also always vividly interested. In addition, it is this approach that helps to establish a more or less laid-back conversation.

The most important thing is that you should not get lost when meeting a delegation at the airport. Foreigners expect from a translator, first of all, help. Therefore, we must immediately ask whether the arrivals have any problems or questions (usually they appear immediately from the first steps in a foreign country). It would be nice to consider the algorithm of their actions in case of emergency even before the reception of a foreign group. This will not only give confidence in the reception of this particular delegation, but will also be useful in future work.

Due to the situation in the foreign exchange market, it has become profitable for foreigners to come to our country. Our relatives and friends living abroad reached here.

Compare. In 2015, the Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia in the North-West Administrative Okrug issued 899 invitations to enter the Russian Federation for foreign citizens. And in 2016, in just six months, the Department of Internal Affairs Directorate for Migration in the North-West Administrative District of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow issued 700 invitations. Most actively, citizens of Georgia, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Turkmenistan and the United States travel to our country.

Middle countries

Citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as those who have a residence permit in Russia, have the right to invite guests from abroad. Moreover, they are responsible for the entry, stay and departure of foreigners from the country. To avoid problems with the law, you must know the rules for entry and stay of friends and relatives in Russia.

It must be understood that the rules are different for countries near and far abroad. But how to determine where the near abroad ends and the distant begins? For example, the Baltic countries bordering with Russia, Turkmenistan and Georgia are considered far abroad.

- Citizens of our country, to which foreigners came, must register them within seven days by contacting the migration department at the place of residence. - says the head of the Department of Migration of the Internal Affairs Directorate in the North-West Administrative District of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow, Mikhail Butin. - This rule does not apply to residents of countries with which the Russian Federation has additional agreements - Belarus and Kazakhstan. Visitors from these countries enjoy other privileges.

If you do not register a foreign guest by law, you will face a fine of two to four thousand rubles. A legal entity can be punished at all in the amount of 400 to 500 thousand.

Distant countries

We have a visa regime with distant countries. To invite, for example, a brother from Canada, you need to come to the local migration department a month before the visit and provide the following documents: application, application form, photocopy of the foreign citizen’s passport, income statement of the receiving party (at least 13,760 rubles) and pay state duty in the amount of 800 rubles. Having received an invitation, a Russian citizen sends it to the embassy of our country in Canada, where a relative receives a visa.

Upon his arrival, you, as the receiving party, must register the guest. To do this, you must submit to the territorial department for migration his migration card, an application and a photocopy of the alien's passport.

If a foreigner (even from near abroad) moves across the country, he must be registered in a new place of residence. In case of violation of migration rules, the party inviting the foreigner is threatened with penalties, which are mentioned above.

Another time they will not let

A foreign citizen has the right to stay on the territory of the Russian Federation for no more than 90 days if he has not concluded an employment contract with a Russian employer or has other circumstances a temporary residence permit that allows him to stay in Russia for three years without leaving. After three years, a citizen can apply for a residence permit.

- In case of violation of the migration regime, of course, they will not look for a foreigner with dogs, unless he commits other offenses. But they will be included in a special list. And to cross the border of the Russian Federation to this citizen in the future will be very problematic. - says Mikhail Butin. - Guests from far abroad will not even be allowed out of the country - they will be detained at the airport, and the foreigner will issue a transit visa through a court.

Today we will consider one of the very important topics business english, namely, approximate dialogues that you may have with a partner whom you need to meet at the airport and bring to the office.

At the airport - at the airport

Excuse me, are you Mr Black? (Excuse me, are you Mr. Black?)

I am Ivan Petrov from TST Systems. (I am Ivan Petrov from the company TST Systems)

Have I kept you waiting? (Did I make you wait?)

Oh no. The plane has just arrived. Thank you for coming to meet me. (Oh no. The plane just flew in. Thank you for coming to meet me.)

You are welcome. Did you have a good flight? (Not at all. Was the span normal?)

Yes, thank you. I was a bit airsick, but now I’m okay. (Yes, thank you. I am a little sick of it, but now everything is in order.)

My car is just outside the airport. My driver will take your suitcase. (My car is waiting for you. The driver will help you bring the semodan.)

In the car - In a car

We are going to our office in the city center. It will take us about half an hour to get there. Mr Potelov is waiting for you. (We are heading to our office, which is located in the city center. It will take us about half an hour to get there. Mr. Potelov is waiting for you).

Please remind me who Mr Potelov is. (Remind me, please, who Mr. Potelov is.)

He’s our CEO. He is going to discuss with you the details of our future agreement. (This is our company's director. He is going to discuss with you some details of our future agreement.)

The visits of statesmen are the highest form of international communication, they testify to the qualitative state of the political, economic and other relations of the two states. The visit may be a state, official, working, unofficial visit or travel.

After the president decides to receive a foreign delegation, the protocol department 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 decree on its implementation.

The preparation of the guest program for all forms of visit is the same. However, state visits as visits of the highest category are carried out in special cases and no more than once during the stay of the head of state in power. A high and honorable level of meeting and seeing off a guest is ensured during a state visit: at the airport (or train station), the head of a foreign state is met by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Russian Federation holds an official meeting and seeing off 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 dates of the visit have been finalized, the protocol department of the presidential administration and the protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs develop a draft program for the high guest stay, taking into account his wishes, then the project is agreed with the embassy and the so-called advanced groups leaving for Russia during the preparation of the visit.

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

A meeting with the advance group is taking place in the Kremlin, and representatives of all the services involved in the preparation and conduct of the visit from our side take part in it.

During the meeting, details of the meeting ceremonies and wires are discussed; composition of negotiators; details of the official reception, signing of joint documents, exchange of gifts. Members of the advanced group get acquainted with the venue for official ceremonies, negotiations, examine the residence provided to the distinguished guest in the Kremlin. After familiarizing themselves with the program as a whole, members of the advanced group negotiate "on interests" - protocol with protocol, security with security, etc.

Of great importance is the block of organizational, technical and economic issues, requiring special scrupulousness and taking into account all the details. For example, employees of the Russian and foreign protocol agree on the number of persons from the delegation of the guest whose expenses in Russia are incurred by the Russian side. The norms of financial expenses 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, the provision of road transport and air support (for flights to one of the cities of the Russian Federation, if this is provided for by the visit program).

During state and official visits, the head of the foreign delegation is given a guest residence in the Kremlin, during working visits - one of the mansions on the Sparrow Hills. For official accompanying persons, the Russian side can provide rooms in the President Hotel or the Golden Ring. The Kremlin residence is located near the Borovitsky Gate, a little further than the Armory. These apartments have existed since ancient times. Here, as a rule, all the heads of state and monarchs who come to Moscow stop. Here in October 1994, the English Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, stayed. During the Cold War era, many heads of state preferred to stay at their embassies, such as American presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. But already Bill Clinton, accepting the invitation of our protocol service, stayed in the Kremlin. Anyone can pay attention: when a flag of a foreign state flies above the residence, this means that here at the moment there is a distinguished guest who is received by the Russian president.

The representatives of the advanced group stipulate the number and type of cars provided by the Russian side. Typically, the head of state and his wife are served cars of the "limousine" class, and for accompanying persons - cars or executive vans. A special vehicle is allocated for baggage delivery from the airport and back.

It is customary to summarize the results of the meeting with the advanced group during a working breakfast, during which the latest clarifications are made.

After the president signs the order on accepting the distinguished guest, the protocol department and the protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs begin to prepare reference materials: the program of the visit, which is printed in the form of a brochure in Russian and the language of the guest country; seating arrangements for negotiators and formal lunch (breakfast); a guest accommodation plan with residential addresses and car numbers assigned to them. In the printing house, registered cards are ordered in two languages: large format - to indicate places at the negotiating table and small format, the so-called couvert, which are set on the tables for those invited for lunch (breakfast). For each invitee, a card “Your place at the table” with the necessary guidelines for such a case is made. Invitation forms, menu texts and covers for them, programs for performances and concerts as part of the cultural program, and covers for speeches are also being handed over to the printing house.

On the eve of the visit, souvenirs and souvenirs are being prepared for the guests, the relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are appointing translators for the distinguished guest and his wife, the protocol administrators of the Presidential and Ministry of Foreign Affairs control the preparation of the airport for the meeting and its attributes - state flags, guard of honor and orchestra. The Presidential Orchestra learns the anthem of the guest country. Participants in the ceremonies of meetings, 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.

At a state visit, the distinguished guest is met by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ambassador to the guest country, while on an official visit, the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the Russian Ambassador to the guest country.

State and official visits involve a ceremony of meeting and seeing off at the airport with military honors, unless the guest arrives in Moscow late in the evening or in the early morning. In other cases, for example, during a working visit, a travel visit, etc., ceremonies on arrival of a distinguished guest are not provided.

When meeting at the airport, they raise the state flags of the guest country and the Russian Federation, and an honor guard of three types of the Armed Forces is built on the airfield. The chairman of the government or one of his deputies, the guest’s ambassador in Moscow and the director of the state protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approach the ladder.

The director of the State Protocol Department 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 prime minister or his deputy. This moment is fixed on the photo and movie cameras. If the distinguished guest arrives with his wife, she is met at the ladder by the wife of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, who presents the guest with a bouquet of flowers. After the performance of national anthems, the guest’s spouse takes a place among officials accompanying the head of a foreign state.

The Director of the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation invites the head of the foreign state and the Prime Minister to go to the guard of honor. They take places on the carpet facing the airport building, and the chief of the guard of honor gives them a report. Then the head of the foreign state and the Russian prime minister turn to face the guard of honor, and the orchestra performs the national anthems of both countries.

The head of the foreign state and the prime minister take several steps towards the banner of the guard of honor and greet him with a slight tilt of the head, after which they bypass the line, then say goodbye to the head of the guard of honor and go to the airport building. The Russian prime minister welcomes the persons accompanying the guest, and the head of the foreign state - Russian officials, heads of diplomatic missions and embassy staff of his country.

The chief of the protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites the distinguished guest and the head of the Russian government to go on the carpet, and an honor guard passes before them in a solemn march.

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

By car, the flags of the guest country and the Russian Federation are set. During state and official visits, the car is accompanied by an honorary escort of 9 motorcyclists.

The city streets in 3-4 points along the route of the guest to the residence should be decorated with state flags of the guest 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 Prime Minister rises with the guest to the third floor, escorting him to the very residence, then says goodbye to him.

The same ceremony is held when the distinguished guest leaves Moscow.

Even with such a well-organized ceremony, unexpected things happen, for example, when an arriving aircraft, due to weather conditions, is sent by the dispatcher to land not at the government airport of Vnukovo-2, but at some other. In such cases, all those who meet have to take part in improvised car races along the roads of the Moscow Region in order to be in time by the time the ladder is brought to the landing plane. The task in such situations is further complicated by the fact that the guest needs to deliver all the necessary vehicles on time and have time to form a motorcade, informing the drivers about the driving routes and the program of the visit.

Having met a distinguished guest, the protocol department employees seat guests in cars in accordance with the motorcade scheme, assist foreign colleagues in preparing border and customs documents and sending delegation luggage to the residence and hotel.

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

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

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

I recall a curious incident that happened back in Soviet times, in the summer of 1974, at the ceremony of seeing off American President Nixon, who was the last to come to Moscow in this capacity. His visit was overshadowed by the then unfolding campaign in the USA for impeachment to 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 it should be, began to perform marches in anticipation of the start of the engines of our Il-62 aircraft, which was to deliver Nixon to Kiev, from where, in accordance with the program, he was already flying on his plane. Washington. I was then a member of a group that participated in the American president’s seeing off. The orchestra kept playing and playing, but the engines 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 nearby. It immediately became clear that there was no on-board catering on the spare plane. Then Kosygin and Bugaev, who was then the Minister of Civil Aviation, boarded the plane and, apologizing, invited the distinguished guest to go to the waiting room while preparing a reserve plane. And our female flight attendants began to carry products prepared for the American delegation on trays. When one of the stewardesses stepped onto the gangway with oranges, they rolled off the tray and scattered across the field. The whole world then watched newsreel footage with these oranges. They, of course, were not shown to us. And all the while the American president was transferred to another plane, until the liner taxied to the runway, the orchestra played peppy marches.

Before the visits of distinguished guests lasted 7-10 days, and they had the opportunity to visit several cities of the Soviet Union. Now it’s not customary to make long visits, and therefore guests only occasionally visit one of the cities of Russia.

During state and official visits, a motorcade carrying a distinguished guest accompanies 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 at a time when the Russian president himself is traveling around the country or abroad of our country, this means that you are witnessing a training run, working out some kind of movement parameters. All escort motorcyclists are employees of the Special Purpose Garage, as well as cars that are served to distinguished guests. Our motorcycles created at the Izhevsk plant, powerful cars with good maneuverability participate in the escort. And although motorcyclists, of course, are not stuntmen, they can do a lot of things, and above all, shoot great.

The meeting schedule of the head of a foreign state is necessarily sent to the embassies so that they are in the know and can participate in it. Usually, during a state visit, the guest is met by the chairman of the government, if the official visit is one of his deputies. We have always had a clear agreement in this regard, and there has never been such a thing that government officials do not come to the airport. Another thing is that it used to come not in what it should be. Everyone probably remembers how Nemtsov, being the first deputy prime minister, met one of the high-ranking guests in white trousers.

Clinton was once considered one of the 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’s just over thirty, maybe he will be the president!” Clinton called Nemtsov to greet him, and without hesitation, he instead of going around, he extended his hand across the table. Of course, I then had to explain to him that he was wrong.

When the English Queen arrived in Moscow in October 1994, President Yeltsin, as an exception, drove to the airport to meet her. And already in 2003, Jacques Chirac personally met Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at the airport. Before, we had cases when our president was also met and escorted by the heads of state. This happened spontaneously and showed the special disposition of the president to his Russian guest.

The protocol is a very delicate matter. Mitterrand met us - my French partners have the opportunity to hint to me that it would not hurt our president now to go to the airport to meet the French president. But usually, of course, I never heard of such proposals, since such a decision remains solely at the discretion of the host party. Our partners are well aware that they have made a departure from the general rule, confirmed by international practice.

Kings and queens, as a rule, can visit the country only once. Representatives of royal families are mostly found among themselves: at weddings, christenings, funerals. Regarding the permission to visit their monarchs and the allocation of funds for it in some countries openly, in others - in closed meetings, this issue is decided by the Council of Ministers, since we are talking about large government spending.

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 dignitaries. The president accompanied the queen on her trip to St. Petersburg. During the organization and holding of the royal reception on board the yacht "Britain", we tried to take into account all the features of the British Royal Protocol.

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

As a guideline, the protocol list approved by the president of the highest state officials, listed in a strictly defined sequence in accordance with the constitution, is usually taken. The president is the first on this list, the prime minister is the second, 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 chairmen of the government, 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 the official events in the protocol seniority, the merits of Russian citizens who were awarded the highest Russian orders of St. Andrew the First-Called and “For Merits to the Fatherland” II, III, IV degrees have been emphasized.

It might seem that when arranging the participants in the ceremonies, it is only necessary to have lists of delegations and timely invite those to their designated places. In fact, during any visit, an atmosphere of solemn nervousness invariably arises: tardiness of individuals from the Russian and foreign delegations, the desire of those in the line to regroup at their discretion require maximum attention and tact from the employees.

According to the established Russian protocol tradition, ceremonial participants are lined up, as a rule, at a meeting and seeing off at the airport, an official meeting and seeing off in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Catherine Hall of the Russian President’s Kremlin residence.

The next morning after the arrival of English Queen Elizabeth II in Moscow, we all expected her to leave, but for some reason the Queen did not appear. She stayed at the Kremlin residence, and a meeting with President Yeltsin was to take place in the Kremlin Palace. I sent my assistant Alexander Marshev to find out what was the matter. He comes running and says: “The Queen’s main governess overslept and did not prepare her flowers. Until they make a second-hand book, the queen will not come out. ”

We then noticed for the first time that Elizabeth II always had a small bunch of flowers in her hands. I think this is no accident. There are many such awkward moments when, not observing etiquette, a woman is given a hand, without waiting for her to give it herself. It can be seen that this happens not only in Russia, therefore, protecting the queen from unexpected and inappropriate handshakes, her protocol established the rule that the queen should always hold a bucket in her hands. Everyone sees that the Queen’s hands are busy, and if necessary, she will extend her hand herself.

So after some hitch, the queen finally came out, apologized and said: "Mine also let me down at times."

With etiquette in relation to the queen in general it is not easy: often it cancels the generally accepted and observed rules of good form. For example, the queen, unlike any other woman, cannot be supported under the elbow when she comes down the stairs.

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

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

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

The signing of joint documents in the Embassy Hall is usually carried out at the end of negotiations in the representative office in the presence of 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, while the head of a foreign state is located to the right of the Russian president.

An employee of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads out the names of signed documents in Russian and foreign languages. After signing the 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 can give short answers to 2-3 questions from journalists.

While the heads of state hold a face-to-face meeting, short-term conversations between members of the Russian and foreign delegations are usually held in the Lounge and Fireplace Halls.

The program of an official or working meeting may include 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 arranged in the Small Banquet Hall of the residence.

The aforementioned representative premises constitute an 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 Seating Hall is made in a beautiful artistic style: a combination of white, blue and gilding on furniture and doors, oval mirrors in bronze frames, and stacked parquet underline the impression of solemnity. The banquet hall is designed in light yellow with 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 half-columns. Symbols of Russia - double-headed heraldic eagles are mounted in a bronze chandelier decorating the painted ceiling.

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

The head of the foreign state arrives at the guest entrance to the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the Russian president and, passing through the lobby, rises up the front staircase to the Catherine’s Hall. Both in the lobby and on the main staircase he is met by a guard of honor.

In the Catherine Hall, a distinguished guest is awaited by Russian participants in the meeting and accompanying persons. To meet him, to the sounds of presidential fanfare, the President of the Russian Federation comes out from the side of the Advisory Room.

Having met in the center of the hall, the presidents shake hands and are sent 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 ceremony participants are arranged 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 - 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.

Presidents pass to greet and introduce Russian officials and the official delegation of the guest, after which they leave the hall.

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

Guests get acquainted with the main provisions of the script for an official dinner on the liners sent 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 an official dinner arrive at the arch of the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation and, passing through the guest entrance, gather in the lobby on the ground floor.

They are given presentation cards and seating cards at tables; an aperitif is served.

The gathering of guests ends at 18.40.

At 19.00, guests are invited to climb the main staircase to the Advisory Room. Upon entering the Advisory Room, presentation cards are handed over to an employee of the protocol of the President of the Russian Federation. In the conference room of the invited, they are introduced to the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin, King of Norway Harald V, Queen Sonya and N.I. Yeltsin, then the invitees follow to the Catherine Hall to their seats at the tables in accordance with the seating plan.

Dress code: men - a dark suit, women - an evening long dress, military men - dress uniform with order blocks.

"On the premises of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation, please refrain from smoking."

Those invited to an official dinner gather at the arch of the courtyard of the Russian president’s Kremlin residence. Having passed through the guest entrance, they gather in the lobby on the ground floor, where they are given seating cards at tables (at a state visit, also presentation cards) and an aperitif is served.

The guest meeting 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 climb the main staircase to the Advisory Room. At a state visit, a guard of honor is built on the main staircase. In the Advisory Room, invitees are introduced to the Russian President and the head of a foreign state.

If a guest arrives with his spouse, the heads of state and their spouses are arranged to greet the guests in the following sequence: the president of Russia, the guest, the spouse of the guest, the wife of the president of Russia.

After the presentation, invitees go to the Catherine Hall to their seats at the tables. The last, to the sounds of presidential fanfare, the Russian president and the head of a foreign state enter the hall.

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

At the end of the dinner, at the beginning, to the sounds of the presidential fanfare, the presidents leave the hall, followed by the rest.

During the state visit, those invited to an official dinner, upon entering the Advisory Room, transmit their presentation cards to the president’s protocol officer, who reads them to both presidents.

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

The Faceted Chamber is the oldest surviving building of the Grand Kremlin Palace, built in 1487–1491. The chamber served as a throne room. Here, in a festive atmosphere, they received foreign ambassadors, held festivities on the occasion of events of national importance. In 1552, Ivan the Terrible celebrated the conquest of the Kazan Khanate; in 1653, in the Faceted Chamber, the ambassadors of the Hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky transferred to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the will of the Ukrainian people “to become under the arm of the Tsar of Moscow”; in 1709, Peter the Great celebrated his victory over the Swedes near Poltava, etc.

In preparation for the reception, the most suitable table arrangement option is selected, which depends on the number of invitees and on whether the guest arrived with his wife or not. If the head of a foreign state came to Russia with his wife, most of the guests from the Russian side are invited with their spouses, and oval tables for 7-8 people are placed in the Faceted Chamber. If the reception is carried out without wives, a U-shaped table is put. With a large number of guests, a different design is assembled, consisting of a rectangular main table and four beam-tables parallel to each other.

Having chosen the table arrangement scheme, the 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 the protocol seniority adopted in Russia and in the guest country. The most honorable place at the main table - on the right hand of the Russian president - is given to the main guest, the second most important person sits on the left. Then, if the reception is with spouses, the guest’s spouse is located on the left hand of the Russian president, and the wife of the president of Russia sits next to the guest. Further, according to this principle, the rest of the guests are seated, taking into account that the farther from the main persons, the places are less honorable. Places must necessarily be alternated - a man is planted next to a woman and vice versa. It should be remembered that the husband and wife should not sit together, and when “divorced” at different tables, the wife has the protocol seniority of the husband. In addition, you can not offer a woman a place at the end of the table if a man is not sitting on his end.

Translators are placed behind the seats of the guests. It is impossible to assign an interpreter to each guest, therefore, first of all, they provide those sitting at the main table, as well as negotiators and especially honored guests from both sides. When seating the other guests, the knowledge of the guests of foreign languages, as well as the common interests of those sitting at the same table, are taken into account as much as possible. When the number of invitees reaches 120 people, the protocol employees have to solve real puzzles.

From time to time, it is difficult to find a circuit that has to be changed literally on the go. There are times when, shortly before the start of a meal, it becomes known that one or another of the guests will not be able to come to the reception. We have to literally “patch up” the decaying scheme, using reserve seating options, trying to arrange so that the guests' festive mood is not overshadowed by the slightest inconvenience, and the ceremonial part of the dinner was held according to the established rules.

The text of the invitation to receive is usually very concise, in accordance with the requirements of the international diplomatic protocol and etiquette. The form, size, number and content of the invitations sent depend on the venue of the event, the capacity of the hall and, most importantly, on the representative level of the main guest of the President of the Russian Federation.

In addition, according to a long tradition, the 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 those invited to the office of the State Duma. Now invitations are being transported 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.

An equally important role in holding an official dinner is played by a properly composed menu. So, when organizing official events in honor of the leaders of countries practicing Islam, alcohol and dishes prepared from pork are completely excluded from the menu. During visits of Indian government delegations to Russia, a special menu is prepared that excludes beef and veal dishes, since the cow is a sacred animal in India.

In addition to the invitation itself, the envelope contains the so-called insert, which indicates the procedure for receiving. So, for lunch 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 entrance to Ge orgievsky hall. They are given seating cards at the tables. Gathering of guests ends 15 minutes before lunch.

About 19 hours, guests are invited to the Vladimir Hall. They are introduced to the President of the Russian Federation, N. I. Yeltsin, the President of the United States of America, Mr. William J. Clinton, Mrs. H. Clinton and through the Holy Canopy to the Faceted Chamber, 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 concert

In order to preserve the artistic values \u200b\u200bof the Grand Kremlin Palace, please refrain from smoking. "

The form of clothing may be indicated in the insert, for example: men - a dark suit, women - an evening long dress, military personnel - dress uniform with order blocks.

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

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

If the head of a foreign state arrives with his wife, the presidents and their spouses are located in the center of the hall with a person in the following order: the president of Russia, the guest, the wife of the guest, the wife of the president of Russia. Having introduced themselves to the presidents, the guests are sent to the Faceted Chamber and take their places at the tables.

As I already said, official toasts and speeches are made at the beginning of dinner, translations of 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 were 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 Canopy of the Faceted Chamber. In the past, through the white-stone Red Porch, they passed only on especially solemn occasions: through it the kings went to the Assumption Cathedral for coronation and marriage, here the sovereign appeared and bowed to the people on the days of special celebrations. On the Red Porch, the crowned persons and foreign ambassadors of Christian countries went up to the palace and left it, who were thereby given a special honor.

With the reconstruction of the historical appearance of the front porch, this good tradition has also revived. So, during the official visit of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the Russian president, accompanying her for a walk around the Kremlin, led the queen through the Red Porch. After signing the integration documents between Russia and Belarus, the presidents of the two countries and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II went down from the Grand Kremlin Palace to Cathedral Square along the Red Porch.

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

To conduct such discussions, the protocol department compiles a list of participants from the Russian and foreign parties. Usually, there is one recording person and one translator in each conversation. As recordings, as a rule, are the assistants to the heads of state on foreign policy issues. Once the venue of this event has been determined, the protocolmen inform the negotiators from the Russian side, the press and ensure the timely arrival of the delegation to the Kremlin.

During a conversation with the President of Russia, the head of the foreign delegation is accompanied by a representative of the protocol service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the Kremlin, he is met by a representative of the protocol department of the Russian president. He escorts the guest to the Green Living Room of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Previously, it was called the Front Couch 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 are located 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 want to emphasize the special nature of the visit, the conversation takes place in the Kremlin residence of the president.

Negotiations between the president of Russia and the heads of foreign states take place according to the same scheme, only the venue of the negotiations and the composition of the participants change.

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

The Order of St. Catherine (Order of Liberation) is a special and only female order in Russia. It was established by Peter I in memory of the Russian army leaving the Turkish encirclement in 1711. In her salvation, a large role was played by Catherine I, whose jewelry went to bribe the commander of the Turkish army. In tsarist Russia, the order was awarded to the wives of the highest royal dignitaries and maids of honor of the imperial court.

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

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

The negotiators occupy the places indicated by the cover cards, the translators sit on the left hand side of the heads of delegations. They are again filmed and photographed, after which representatives of the media leave the room.

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

If during the negotiations it is decided to immediately sign a joint working document, both parties move to the Red Drawing Room.

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

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

The signing of the final documents is usually held in the Vladimir Hall. The Vladimirsky Hall is the ceremonial room of the Grand Kremlin Palace, where representatives of the merchants and petty bourgeois estates who participated in the highest receptions gathered. It is named after the Order of St. Vladimir, established by Catherine II in honor of the Kiev prince Vladimir Red Sun, the baptist of Russia.

Before signing the final documents, both presidents meet in the Winter Garden a few minutes before the ceremony. At this time, invitees gather in the Vladimir Hall, and 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 the foreign state go down the stairs from the Winter Garden to the Vladimir Hall to the table at which the signing is to take place and take seats in chairs (the head of the foreign state on the right hand side of the Russian president).

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

Sometimes after signing the head of the delegation, they 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 is an event held by the Office of the Presidential Protocol and the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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

Not later than 20 minutes before the ceremony, ambassadors of foreign states enter the courtyard of the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Having passed through the guest entrance, they climb the main staircase to the second floor. On the way they follow an honor guard. The gathering place for the ambassadors is the Exhibition Hall, where the Kremlin museums unfold their exhibits.

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

At the appointed time, from the side of the Advisory Room, the President enters the hall, 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 the standard of the President of the Russian Federation are installed.

The foreign minister stands on the right hand of the president, and the deputy head of the presidential administration on foreign affairs - on the left. The Director of the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces an ambassador presenting his credentials. The ambassador approaches the president along the carpet path, presents his credentials and, after shaking hands, takes the place on the right hand of the president for photographing, and then returns to his place.

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

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

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

The guard of honor is lined up in two lines in front of the grave. Banners are set on the right flank of the guard of honor, the orchestra is located to the right of the banners. Sentries with carabiners at the feet are exhibited at the grave. Employees of the embassy of the guest country deliver a wreath in advance.

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

The first is the leading officer of the guard of honor, after him at a distance of two or three steps - two officers carrying a wreath (sometimes these are persons from the composition of the foreign delegation who were allocated to carry the wreath), followed by the head of the foreign state.

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

With the approach of the delegation at the command of the chief, the guard of honor assumes the position "at attention" with an equal alignment towards the guests. The orchestra performs funeral solemn melodies. Fighting banners lean 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 dead with a minute of silence.

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

In such cases, protocol managers will arrive at the theater or concert hall in advance to deliver baskets of flowers for delivery to artists or musicians on behalf of the distinguished guest, the Russian president or his representative. The President and his distinguished guest are given the central box of a theater or concert hall. If the visit is state or official, the state flags of the guest country and the Russian Federation are hung on both sides of the lodge, and the national anthems of the two countries are played before the start of the performance. At an unofficial visit, flags are not posted and hymns are not performed.

In the box, programs and libretto, printed in Russian and the language of the guest country, are laid out in advance. Seating of all arrivals is carried out 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 brief meeting with leading artists or directors can take place, and during the intermission, a buffet can be organized.

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

Usually, guests are treated to national dishes at receptions, however, there are times when guests cannot eat these dishes for some reason. For example, among distinguished guests there are vegetarians. Usually this question 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, the Kremlin chefs prepare special dishes for such guests. A discreet sign is placed on the corresponding couvert cards, which allows the waiter not to confuse what dishes this guest can be served.

Usually, when we receive the head of a foreign state, we always ask what kind of cuisine our guest prefers. The usual answer in such cases is that there are no special wishes. However, if a guest has health problems, the people who keep his protocol must report this, and we do everything so that the guest not only does not remain hungry, but also enjoys our treat. A gesture of special respect for a foreign delegation is the inclusion of dishes that are traditional for the guest of the country on the official reception menu.

As for drinks, in international practice it is customary 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 began to arise with wine: the quality of wines obtained in the territory of present-day Russia leaves much to be desired, and the wines that we export from the CIS countries cost us not much cheaper than French ones, and there are a lot of fakes among them. For example, today you can buy khvanchkars and Kindzmarauli anywhere and anytime, but in Soviet times the grape varieties from which they were made grew only in a certain place, and it was difficult to buy these wines even in Tbilisi.

In order to arrange receptions during our foreign visits, we took several cooks with excellent knowledge of Russian cuisine and well-trained waiters. Nowadays, so-called reciprocal receptions have become less common, and before they certainly entered into protocol practice: if, for example, today Reagan gives a reception in honor of Gorbachev, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we should organize a reciprocal reception at our embassy. Then, for the sake of economy, we carried with us a lot of products. Even now we carry part of the products: vodka, caviar, our pickles. Our brown bread used to be very popular in the world, especially among the French and Americans. We brought with him and him. Baking bread has always been ours. Now this is no longer relevant: around the world, bread products have become much less in demand. Everything else can be bought in the market or in the store, and modern technical means allow you to determine the quality of products on the spot.

We don’t hold big receptions, usually we have 80-100 people abroad. In Russia - not much more, about 120 people. The biggest reception was for 150 people when the English Queen Elizabeth II paid 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 guests was due to the fact that for quite some time we did not have the corresponding premises. In France, for example, a reception is held simultaneously in different rooms of the Champs Elysees, and an impressive number of guests can be accommodated there. The Americans are solving this issue even more interesting. There are few premises suitable for large crowds in the White House. The hall there is designed for 80 people, and there are always many more people who want to get an appointment, and among them there are many high-ranking guests. Suppose, for the Russian delegation, only 15 seats are reserved, and its composition is 20 people. Those who did not get to the main part of the reception, the hosts are invited to a concert, which takes place after the reception. At about 9 p.m. those who received the invitation arrive there. They are served champagne, cognac, cigars. If we tried to organize a reception like this with us, conversations would begin that the guests are divided into black and white. But, I think, someday there will come an understanding that this is a perfectly 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, of a thousand or more people.

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

Afternoon receptions include working breakfast, a glass of champagne, a glass of wine, and breakfast.

A “working breakfast” is usually carried out during visits by the Russian president abroad to meet with representatives of the business community or for working meetings with heads of state in multilateral international forums.

A “working breakfast” is usually arranged at 8.00–8.30 in the morning and lasts no more than one hour and fifteen minutes. A limited number of guests are invited to attend. There are no toasts or special performances during breakfast.

A “glass of champagne” usually begins at 12 noon and lasts an hour and a half. During the reception, in addition to champagne, guests are served wine, juices, mineral water. Drinks and snacks are served by waiters. A similar technique is the type of “glass of wine”.

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

Breakfast is usually arranged 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 snacks, one fish or meat dish and dessert. Sometimes breakfast includes a main course and a hot appetizer.

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

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

One of them is “tea,” usually arranged between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., usually for women. In Russian protocol practice, this type of reception is used when the spouse of the President of Russia invites the spouse of a distinguished foreign guest and other women during official visits of the heads of state and government to our country.

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

Another type of evening reception is the “cocktail”, which starts between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and lasts about two hours. During the reception, waiters deliver drinks, as well as cold and hot snacks. Often, 2-3 buffets are arranged at different ends of the hall, where waiters offer guests drinks.

Reception like "a la buffet" is a little different from a "cocktail", especially since it is held at the same hours. At the reception, tables are served with appetizers and hot dishes, and guests themselves choose a refreshment and lay it on their plates. In the buffets, waiters offer guests drinks.

Receptions “cocktail” and “a la buffet” are held standing, at the end champagne, ice cream and coffee are served.

At a lunch-buffet-type reception starting at 18–20 hours, guests, having picked up snacks, are seated at their own discretion at small tables for 4–6 people.

At all of the above receptions, guests are usually invited with spouses.

The most solemn form of reception is lunch. According to Russian protocol practice, lunch usually starts at 19 hours and is held in the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Catherine’s Hall of the President’s Kremlin residence, or the Reception House on Vorobyovy Gory.

Gala dinner involves the host and guest. It is preliminary 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 gets up and makes 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 get the guest’s speech the day before, print it out in Russian and put 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, which caused the host or guest the corresponding emotions.

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

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

Drinks are not on the table. A glass of vodka is poured in advance, which you can, of course, not drink. In recent years, Boris Nikolayevich did not even put a glass of vodka; he drank exclusively red wine. The waiters bypass the guests and offer them red and white wine. It used to be firmly established that white wine is served with fish, and red wine with meat. Now the tradition of wine drinking is changing, everyone can decide for himself which wine he prefers to eat meat and fish with. At the end of dinner, sweets are served: cakes, pastries, fruits, coffee, tea. Waiters offer champagne. Having risen from the table, guests move to another room, where they are treated to cognac, liquor, coffee, where you can smoke. In 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 it.

During lunch, a small concert of light music is organized. Only a very limited number of guests are invited to dinner with spouses.

Since ancient times, in international practice, there is a tradition of strict observance of the rules for choosing clothes when attending official receptions. Today, these rules are as strict 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, dress coat and classic suit in his wardrobe.

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

When a tailcoat is required, “white tie” (literally “white tie”) is written in the official invitation. 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. He appeared in the UK, where men traditionally smoked cigars. Cigar ash, falling on the lapels of the jacket, left noticeable traces. To avoid this, a special “jacket for smoking” was invented, the lapels of which were covered with silk or semi-silk fabric. Almost unchanged, the tuxedo has survived to this day and has remained one of the main elements of clothing for special occasions.

A tuxedo is required if the official invitation is marked “black tie” (“black tie”). In the case of a tuxedo, this phrase should be understood literally - a bow tie as an element of a tuxedo when attending an official reception can only be black. A tuxedo needs a white shirt, a dark belt, patent leather shoes, carefully selected accessories (cufflinks, a scarf in a breast pocket). The classic tuxedo is always black, the recent colored tuxedos (for example, white) are not recommended for official receptions.

Most often, during official receptions on behalf of the Russian president and his wife, the protocol uses the usual classic costume. The requirements for the costume are simple: good fit, high-quality fabric, calm colors. The official suit can only be one-color. It is advisable to avoid colored vests. Navy blue blazers with gold buttons are also unacceptable for formal occasions.

For an evening event, a dark blue suit is ideal (it can have a barely noticeable strip), a dark gray suit is also possible. It is not recommended to wear a black suit. At formal events beginning before 19 hours, you can wear a light-colored suit. Despite the current wealth of choice, the costume model should be classic and fit the figure of its owner.

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

An important element of appearance is shoes. Having changed the famous phrase of G. Ford that he said about the color of the car, I’ll say that shoes for 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 should take part in official receptions in their dress uniform with order blocks.

Women have always had greater 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 above all the one according to which the classic silhouettes and colors always remain the basis of women's official clothing.

At the same time, women's clothing should correspond to the time and meet the current trends in haute couture. For example, recently at official events you can often see women in dark trouser suits, as well as in elegant short dresses. In some countries, a women's suit resembles a classic tuxedo in style as an official one.

For evening events, you should not wear a long evening dress, a dress of the usual length, a dress-suit or a classic women's suit will be much more acceptable. In this case, the overall color scheme should be moderately calm, and a dress or skirt - 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 be combined with the color of the suit of the companion of the lady. Do not wear an overly open dress at the reception.

Separately, it should be said about the makeup and accessories of the lady. Makeup should not be flashy, and bright evening makeup is acceptable only for evening events. A large number of jewelry is also unacceptable. The color and texture of the handbag should correspond to the overall appearance. It is not recommended to use a hat, especially a hat, as an element of an evening ladies' costume. Silk or lace gloves can be worn with an evening gown, and the shorter the sleeve, the gloves should be longer.

Evening shoes for women can only be classic shoes with high or low heels.

This format of communication between leaders of states has appeared long ago. Meetings of the so-called "seven" (now the "eight"), the summit of the Asia-Pacific region were held and are usually held at the end of the working week. It is Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. A feature of such meetings (in fact workers) is their informal nature, when, in a relaxed, relaxed atmosphere, usually somewhere in a country residence, the leaders of the states can discuss in their circle the most pressing, burning issues of interstate relations and a wide range of international problems .

The seeming informality of the negotiations, however, in no way means a superficial approach to the problems under discussion. On the contrary, precisely because the exchange of views is frank and confidential, the preparation of leaders 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 that senior leaders know each other well.

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

Then Boris Nikolayevich also maintained unusually good relations with him. Helmut Kohl turned out to be a large-scale politician: being a chancellor for 14 years is a lot for a country like Germany. I always warmly remember his wife Khan Laura. She was a pleasant person in conversation, an interesting woman, with good preparation, and she adequately represented Germany and her family at international meetings. There were many meetings with Kohl, both at Gorbachev and at Yeltsin, formal and informal.

Yeltsin’s first meetings “without ties” were held with colleagues from the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 1993, a series of informal meetings took place, among which, for example, was a working visit of the President of Ukraine to Moscow. On the morning of June 17, the plane of the Ukrainian leader landed at Vnukovo Airport, from there he was delivered by helicopter to the suburban residence of President Yeltsin. While the premieres that were part of the delegations were also in an informal atmosphere, the heads of state discussed the problems of bilateral relations for a walk. Then the presidents and prime ministers gathered in four together and tried to find the keys to resolving the issues. Later, foreign and defense ministers joined in the conversation, and negotiations continued at a working breakfast. Such a meeting, in the general opinion, contributed to a significant rapprochement of the positions of the two sides.

Warm, informal relations were established between the Russian president and Finnish President M. Ahtisaari. The meeting of Yeltsin and Akhtisaari at the Shuy Chupa residence in Karelia in July 1997 contributed to this to a large extent. The President of Finland arrived in the afternoon, after which the Russian-Finnish negotiations “face to face” began. In the morning - a working breakfast, boat trip on Lake Onega. Joint fishing, visiting the sauna, and lengthy conversations contributed to the establishment of a friendly and frank atmosphere of communication between the leaders of the two countries, and this allowed a comprehensive inventory of all aspects of Russian-Finnish interaction. During the exchange of views, very acute international issues were not avoided. The meeting of M. Ahtisaari and B.N. Yeltsin gave concrete results on expanding humanitarian cooperation.

The “no ties” meetings entered into the practice of high-level contacts between the President of Russia and the leaders of the G8 countries. An 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. An interesting meeting was held between B. N. Yeltsin and R. Hashimoto in Krasnoyarsk at the end of 1997. Yeltsin invited the Japanese leader for a river walk along the Yenisei, during which they examined the dam and Divnogorsk. Then they went fishing together. In the evening, communication was continued at dinner, in which a narrow circle of assistants participated on both sides. The next day, Yeltsin and Hashimoto discussed the outcome of the negotiations with each other and only after that met with reporters. The second meeting was held in April 1998 in the Japanese city of Cavana.

Such informal meetings do not at all preclude the need for the relevant services to carry out tremendous preparatory work. So, on the eve, orders on the procedure for the visit are being adopted, sample schemes, programs, etc. are being approved. Moreover, the work of the protocol service is becoming more complicated. The employees of the protocol department have to gradually regulate the negotiation process, without pushing or slowing it down, but giving the top leaders complete freedom to maneuver, at the right time sending them the necessary consultants, cabinet members and experts.

In our press, it was customary to blame Yeltsin for allegedly switching to the leaders of the G8 countries on a call by the 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 first name, and the appeal “Mr. Clinton” and “Mr. President” are too formal, and they wanted to get away from it. 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 an atmosphere of meetings “without ties”, they all began to move more freely, to freely express their emotions.

In America, after the meeting of the leaders of the USA and Russia, the correspondents managed to take a very successful photo, rear view: Yeltsin and Clinton are sitting and looking into the distance. This photo was posted by many American newspapers. At the same meeting there was an interesting episode. Boris Nikolaevich suddenly for no reason said to Clinton: "You will lose." And Clinton laughed. For three minutes he laughed demonstratively, and no one could understand what was happening to him. Then they continued the conversation, and Clinton, American-style, lifted his foot high. Boris Nikolaevich during negotiations always kept very strictly, starting from clothes and ending with a pose. Clinton, this time, not only put his foot on his foot, but also grabbed his boot with his hands. This was not the first time. Boris Nikolayevich suddenly asked: “What, Bill, is shaking a shoe?” Clinton was transferred. He grinned, lowered his leg and never again took such a pose at meetings with Yeltsin.

In the meetings of the G8 countries there is more pomp, evening events and the appearance in evening costumes are obligatory here. Meetings of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region take place mainly in the summer, in the heat. It’s generally accepted for them to sew the same shirts. Another thing is that donning them is not necessary. At some other events of the “Seven,” it was necessary to wear cowboy boots, 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 entourage is just a game. The guests reacted to this proposal in different ways: someone put on boots and a hat, someone didn’t. We did not change into cowboys.

The number of accompanying persons at “no tie” meetings is always limited; there are usually not even any foreign ministers here. The program does not plan any official events, laying wreaths. All the attention of the participants is concentrated only on this circle of communication and on the problems that they intended to discuss.

In my opinion, such meetings really contribute to improving mutual understanding. From 1991 to 2000, I happened to be present at all Sevens, Sevens plus One, and Eights. I can say that such meetings actually provide an opportunity for a frank conversation. The first persons of the states talk at the negotiating table, and at breakfast, and at dinner.

Now their relationship has become easier, there is no previous tension, pomp. During such meetings, they generally change very much. They know how and love to joke. They can interrupt the meeting and rush to watch a football match. (As a rule, G8 meetings take place in the summer when the World Cups are held.)

Now President VV Putin is already participating in the G8 meetings, who has developed special relations with both Schroeder and Blair. They also call each other "friend", but when they discuss issues of principle, they take a tough stance 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 came empty-handed - as a rule, unique works of art were gifts. Eastern guests won the mercy of the Russian tsars with magnificent horse harness and precious weapons, Europeans astounded the sovereign's imagination with exquisite silver and gold dishes, jewelry.

In the XVII 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, then he immediately commanded the guests to weigh sables and expensive fabrics by the weight of their gift.

The king gifted not only foreigners, but also his subjects. Weapons and fabrics were especially valued in antiquity. The sovereign generously endowed the Russian patriarchs and metropolitans with gold and silver brocade, silk and velvet. Later among our gifts began to appear the works of our jewelers, as well as the St. Petersburg porcelain factory, created on the initiative of the great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov. But we had a chance to give something more substantial. 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, the cameral department of the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty of the Ministry of the Imperial Court was in charge of accounting and storing jewelry, awards, gifts that belonged or donated to the tsar’s family, which were responsible for:

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

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

Pantry of stone products delivered from the Yekaterinburg and Kolyvan factories.

Some of the gifts received by the Moscow tsars in Moscow were preserved in the Armory, another part of the gifts, dating back to the era of the empire, is stored and exhibited in the State Hermitage Museum.

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

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

After the revolution, as you know, the bloody Civil War began, in a country in international isolation, starvation began. I think that during the period when Soviet recognition began, foreign ambassadors were unlikely to receive official gifts from the Soviet leadership.

For the first time, gifts were spoken out loud when they were preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of I.V. Stalin nationwide. 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 adopted at the meeting, an exhibition of gifts to I.V. Stalin was organized. By January 10, 1950 in its funds, which were located in the premises of the Museum of the Revolution of the USSR, the Museum of V.I. Lenin, the Polytechnic Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin, the Armory and several other museums, there were 127,823 gifts, addresses and letters of thanks. 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 manufacture of which more than 18 thousand women from Slovakia participated; cars "Skoda", "minor", "alpha-Romeo"; a rare vase from a mammoth ivory depicting more than 100 figures on it (a Chinese master worked on it for more than nine years); a letter from the inhabitants of the city of Delhi, located on rice grain and consisting of 182 characters; weapons made by famous Arab masters. Of these gifts, Stalin did not take anything for himself. He perfectly understood that through them the whole world expressed his attitude to our people, who only four years ago won a most difficult victory in the world war. This was a recognition of our role in the defeat of German fascism.

Stalin, as you know, almost never left the country. Another thing is Khrushchev. He traveled a lot, but it’s hard for me to say anything specific about which Khrushchev took gifts with him. I suppose it's more about souvenirs. We prepared monumental gifts in that era for organizations and enterprises, for fraternal parties. As the congresses of communist and workers parties took place in other countries, our party leaders went to them. As part of the congresses, meetings were held with the labor collectives of enterprises, and meetings were held. Gifts were also selected to match the events: a sculptural image of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, to someone bigger, to someone smaller. Sometimes it was a picture from the life of Ilyich. Academician Nalbandian specialized in such works. There were also artists who worked on political orders, such work ensured a comfortable existence, a large number of orders.

Once, when we were preparing for some kind of event that was held by the French Communist Party, Nalbandyan painted on our order the painting "Lenin in the Louvre". This canvas depicted Lenin at the time when he lived in Paris, considering one of the Louvre masterpieces. At the same time, Nalbandyan painted another picture: Lenin in the Tainitsky garden. On it, Ilyich is depicted in full growth, among flowering cherries and apple trees. This episode could be attributed to the very beginning of the 1920s. And on both canvases he wore a polka dot tie. I take it and ask: what, Lenin had no other tie? The master’s reaction was very stormy, and I realized that it’s better not to ask such questions anymore.

In that era, many various souvenirs were made for fraternal parties. When their representatives came to Moscow at our congresses, they were gifted 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 traveling abroad, the secretaries general of the Central Committee of the CPSU and members of the Politburo in managing the affairs of the Central Committee created the so-called gift group, which included employees of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When preparing gifts for foreign political figures, their influence in the international arena and support for Soviet foreign policy initiatives 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 were presented under the guise of souvenirs. The leaders of foreign states were awarded Soviet orders and medals.

As a rule, expensive gifts were given to statesmen of the so-called developing countries, since in developed countries there are cost restrictions on accepting gifts, which are strictly monitored by the tax authorities of these countries.

Speaking of international experience in organizing the storage of gifts in the form of art, material and documentary values \u200b\u200bpresented to the heads of state during the period of their duties, one can turn to the practice of some foreign countries.

In the United States, gifts whose official value exceeds the amount of $ 250 and which are presented to the president and his spouse in the course of performing state duties are subject to accounting and are accepted for state storage at the Treasury Department. Their subsequent use (expositions, transfer to the museum, art galleries, etc.) is determined by the White House apparatus in an administrative order. 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 president’s suburban residence at Camp David.

Gifts, which are documents, books and manuscripts, at the end of the term of the president in office, go to his presidential library, which is held at public expense. Personal presidential libraries are maintained by the United States National Archives. There is no special museum for gifts to US presidents.

In the UK, gifts and valuables presented to the Queen are taken into account and deposited with the state, becoming the property of the nation. Material assets are stored in the Tower and can be exhibited at various expositions with the consent of the queen.

Gifts can be requested from the vault and used by the queen at her discretion during her stay as head of state.

The procedure for senior officials in the United Kingdom to receive commemorative gifts is governed by the provisions of the Code of Practice and Rules of Procedure for Members of the Government Cabinet, which came into force in July 1997. The document was developed on the personal instructions of Prime Minister E. Blair.

The “Code of Practice” contains a special section, “Acceptance of Gifts and Services,” according to which ministers and other senior officials should be guided by generally recognized and enshrined principles in practice. This means: to refrain from accepting gifts, travel arrangements and accommodation, as well as other types of services from anyone, if their adoption imposes any obligations or gives reason to believe that such may arise. This rule also applies to the procedure for accepting gifts and services by family members of senior officials.

Ministers and other senior officials are obliged to inform the Permanent Deputy Minister of the relevant department, that is, the person who is the highest official, regardless of changes in the composition of the government about all the facts of receiving gifts. Gifts, the value of which does not exceed 140 British pounds, can be left by the recipient for personal use. Costly gifts must be placed at the disposal of the appropriate department. As a rule, such gifts are donated to various charitable societies. Exceptions may be in cases where:

The recipient expresses willingness to pay the difference between the real value of the gift and the permitted value limit of 140 pounds;

The recipient expresses a desire to present a gift of the same value to the donor in return gesture and pay it out of 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 at the disposal of his department may be regarded by the donor as disrespectful;

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

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

The document emphasizes that gifts received during business trips abroad and at a total cost beyond the monetary allowance paid in connection with the trip, must be declared at customs when entering the UK. The decision on a possible duty on imported gifts is the responsibility of the customs authorities. If you want to leave a gift at your personal disposal, the person importing it fully pays customs expenses.

In France, there is no special set of rules that would govern officials to receive commemorative gifts, including from heads of foreign states and governments. Judging by the explanations received in the protocol services of the Champs Elysees, 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.

So, 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.

Francois Mitterrand handed over the gifts he received to a special museum, which was created on his initiative in the city of Château-Chinon, department of Nievre, from which he was once elected to the National Assembly.

On the other hand, we can talk about the customs and practice that have developed in the country, relating to the ethics of public service. It is not accepted, for example, that civil servants accept gifts worth more than $ 200-300 (with a minimum wage in the country of about a thousand dollars), as well as those that are not classified as souvenirs or objects 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 will decide 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. So, JI. I. Brezhnev at one time received a high-speed American Corvette car as a gift, and this was not the only car donated to our Secretary General.

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

Among the cars donated to Brezhnev were both the Peugeot and the Cadillac. He really loved cars, he liked to steer. He himself sat behind the wheel of a ZIL on the road between Zavidovo and Moscow. It happened that small accidents also happened, somehow hit the pine tree.

All gifted cars were in the Kremlin garage. Brezhnev could not ride them when he wanted to: neither time nor health allowed. To relatives, he did not give away these cars either.

Brezhnev, in addition, had a rather large collection of guns. Probably, he especially took an attractive shot gun with him to hunt. But, as a rule, all gifts were returned to the Central Committee and surrendered to Gokhran. Although I won’t be tempted, I know that under Brezhnev some things from Gokhran were taken away, of course, not the worst at state prices, that is, practically for nothing.

Gifts were supposed to be given for the birthday of members of the Politburo. It came to the ridiculous: in the time of Brezhnev it was customary to give everyone the same gifts, including the Secretary General. At the beginning of the year, they made the decision themselves: this year we will give the “harvester”: a TV, a tape recorder and a player. We ordered these “combines” at the Minsk television factory. When Gorbachev became the General Secretary, he refused this practice.

When I started working in the protocol service of the Central Committee, I was also responsible for the pantry, where gifts were accumulated. The first thing I saw was her. There were a lot of things. After all, it is spontaneously impossible to provide gifts to some event. They need to be collected, you need to have a stash. There, for example, 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 Telman, some battle painting, a panel. All such gifts are pre-ordered and wait in the pantry for their time.

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

When we were preparing for the visits, we were given two or three gifts to order. But it was supposed to give gifts not only to the head of the delegation, but to everyone else, it was usually about 20-30. We also took with us small souvenirs for translators, guards. Badges with our symbols, watches, small trinkets, planks, pens with Gorbachev's autograph, and later Yeltsin, always went very well.

Once a week, artists came to us, brought sketches, we discussed prices with them. Each time we ordered a batch of souvenirs and gifts so that it does not lie in the pantry. Another thing is that album production could become obsolete, so when a new album was released, the old one was collected on expeditions and sent to libraries.

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

In those years, I regularly visited all art exhibitions, exhibitions of applied art, art galleries to look after new authors. After all, when ordering a gift, it was necessary to take into account both who will give and who will give it.

As a rule, it is customary to give expensive gifts at a state visit, which, I repeat, can be organized in this country only once for a given head of state. Having received such a gift, one had to think what to give in return. Nevertheless, no matter how strange it may seem, answering adequately is not necessary at all.

From the stories of people who worked for many years in the gift pantry of the Central Committee, I know that similar pantries were in the Supreme Council and in the Council of Ministers. They worked in parallel. There were 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. There were Vologda lace and Orenburg shawls. All works of art at that time were quite accessible. The best Palekh caskets cost no more than 200–250 rubles.

Preparing for the first foreign visit of Mikhail S. Gorbachev as Secretary General, I put out all the gifts and souvenirs that we were going to take with us, starting from the main present and ending with what we had prepared for security officers. Particular attention was paid to the main gift. Everything else was souvenirs with our symbols. When choosing gifts, we proceeded from not giving gifts to representatives of other states which products, or perhaps better, are made in their country. We did not bring china to Japan. If we were already transporting 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 for the first time Mikhail Sergeyevich visited the Queen of England, we learned that the royal family was collecting porcelain. We ordered a wonderful tête-à-tête with our state symbols on the LFZ.

We were constantly looking for souvenirs for the head of state. Naturally, we made inquiries about what his wife is interested in. A gift is a very delicate thing, it is a whole science. Here the newspaper information goes. We learned that Ronald Reagan was very fond of horses. Visiting the Oval Office of the White House, I noticed that he was all covered 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 ordered them a saddle. It was made of different leathers, lined, trimmed with inlay. I really liked the gift, and Reagan, as is customary throughout the world, wrote a letter of thanks to Gorbachev.

Some heads of state collected stamps, chess. Here one should have shown ingenuity: you won’t surprise anyone with ordinary chess. But the Soviet brands were very good. We ordered special klyassers for them.

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

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

It was important to consider even in which country which color is preferred. For example, there was nothing to go to Germany with gzhel, since they also have traditional white and blue dishes. Such questions were studied in detail, since with gifts it was impossible to get into a mess. We had two or three employees who for many years specialized in such delicate work. 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 an Institute of Foreign Languages.

The pantry was gradually replenished. Already famous and aspiring artists have worked on our orders. We ordered young Alexander Shilov a landscape for Margaret Thatcher. Sculptors did small things for us, for example, the young Victor Sonin, the author of the tombstone to Yu. V. Andropov on Red Square. The circle of artists we attracted was wide. We always informed them who were given their work.

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

Souvenir products are constantly updated. We kept a strict record, in a special book it was recorded to whom when something was presented, so as not to be repeated. Now such accounting is carried out using a computer.

We have only recently begun to boldly use our symbolism. Before, it was impossible to just go to the store and buy the flag of the Soviet Union. For some reason, it was previously assumed that the person buying this flag pursues unseemly goals. In America, you can buy the American flag in any store, it is in almost every family, 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, while preparing a present for a member of the Politburo, we showed him to an assistant who knew the tastes of his boss well and consulted with him. Then there were restrictions on expenses: conditionally 1000 rubles could be spent on a gift for the general, and 800 rubles on members of the Politburo.

At one of the Moscow factories there was a workshop specializing in packing gifts and souvenirs. Today it can be done in any store, before such services were not available. Before packing, we carefully examined each product, if defective products came across, exchanged. Khokhloma was especially troublesome: wood is a whimsical material and can crack at any moment.

Each gift was examined several times. Once on a crystal dish that we planned to present, upon arrival at the place we found a crack. Fortunately, I had something in store for the reserve, and the disaster did not happen.

On a foreign visit, we took with us ready-made inscribed envelopes with cards. We and the French were famous for their magnificent calligraphers. A business card from the president is necessarily included in each gift. The French inscribed her by hand, in script. Now it is done on a computer. The group responsible for gifts and souvenirs takes with them a computer, a printer and prints everything on the spot.

At the time of Gorbachev, all gifts were worth more than $ 500: brooches, watches, caskets - surrendered 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 items were commissioned.

Today they write about the bribe that Gorbachev allegedly received in South Korea, along with the box handed to him. This is confirmed by Mr. Boldin, because the money in question, for some reason, ended up in his safe. To me this story seems implausible. I handed the neatly packed box with my own hands to Mikhail Sergeyevich, and he, apparently, gave it 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 also say now that Gorbachev was allegedly overstated by the Nobel Prize, in the form of a hidden bribe, or something. But it was not he who flew for the prize, but when the money was brought to him, the main part of this amount with me was sent to child care facilities. Gifts that cost less than $ 500 were transferred to orphanages and enterprises.

Yeltsin was once bombarded with racquets, but they also gave him guns, knowing his love of hunting. Great hunting rifles are made by Americans, Czechs. Gave, of course, those who produce them. By the way, our weapons of the Tula and Izhevsk arms factories are also excellent. In Tula, as a rule, hunting rifles were made with a unique inlay of the rifle itself and the butt.

Boris Nikolayevich then handed out donated rackets to children's sports schools, friends who were involved in sports. He had two or three of his favorites, but the rackets quickly break, they often have to be changed.

Yeltsin handed over sculptural works, paintings, books to the President’s library in the Kremlin, where rare books and official gifts made during meetings with foreign leaders, as well as with heads of CIS member states, were presented to him.

Presentation of souvenirs sometimes causes a lot of problems for the receiving party, this especially applies to the so-called spontaneous gifts, when, without warning the protocol service of the guest, a foreign visitor suddenly decides to personally deliver a memorable gift to the president. Such actions of foreign guests are confused by 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 of Damascus steel to the Soviet leadership.

In international practice, it is customary to discuss the issue of presenting souvenirs and gifts at negotiations with the preparatory group. Usually 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 transferred to the representative of the protocol service of the foreign delegation. The guest protocol service, in turn, delivers souvenirs to the expedition of the presidential protocol management.

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

Gift wrapping should not be too catchy, aesthetic and neat. As a rule, they are wrapped in dense paper of neutral tones and tied with colored ribbons. In some cases, the colors of the ribbons coincide with the colors of the national flag of the country giving the souvenirs.

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

As I said, in the United States a high-level government official has no right to take a gift that costs more than $ 250 (at one time it was 150). It is customary even to publish lists of gifts handed 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 delivered packed, and sometimes in person. It so happened that we donated the silver things we received as a gift to Gokhran, and they returned them to us: it turned out that the things were not silver and were of no value to Gokhran. By the way, I did not see some of our gifts, the same Kyrgyz saddle, on American lists.

Of the successful gifts, one can also name the samovar presented to the Queen of England by the work of Tula masters; Russian-speaking Jacques Chirac at one time was presented with the complete works of Pushkin; Hashimoto photography enthusiast - an album of photos dedicated to the restoration of the Kremlin.

Serious miscalculations of the protocol service of the head of state are associated with gifts. In Denver, for example, all the G8 heads of state were presented with a Rolex with diamonds worth either 50 or 60 thousand dollars. It was not a gift from the US president, but from a manufacturing company. Almost all the heads of the G8, without saying a word, gave the watch back, including the Russian and American presidents.