Diplomats speak

"THIS CITY IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE FOR RUSSIA"

Mr. John Guy,
the British Consul General in St. Petersburg

        - Mr. Guy, 300 years have passed since Peter the Great went to Britain with his Embassy. Does this date simply belong to the dusty shelves of history or does it have impact on the present?
        - Oh, well, both. It belongs to history, but of course it has meaning and significance for us today because it was an important point in the development of relations between Russia and Britain. Peter the Great went to Britain at the time when we already had a very viable relationship with Russia based on trade and relations which were conducted in the main in the capital Moscow. Peter reinvigorated that relationship and we want to take that as an inspiration for the work that we are now doing to modernize the relationship which we have in business, in politics, in the arts.
        - The British statesmen say that your country appreciates its relations with Russia and thinks of Russia as a very important partner. Does this statement reflect the opinion of British business circles?
        - Oh, yes, I think so. I think that the businesses that I know who are already engaged either with trading or investing in Russia have committed themselves to a long-term relationship, they value this relationship, it's often founded on a what one may call a traditional if not historical relationship. Many of the companies that we deal with have long traded with Russia, before the 1917 revolution. That already gives a good idea of the understanding which exists in many companies, many circles in Britain, about the value of this relationship and I think businesses have been looking with enormous interest at the future potential of Russia since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. The economic and financial crisis in August last year, of course, had an impact. It has caused many companies to pause in their activities. But I don't believe it has had a fundamental impact on their approach in the sense that they remain committed to developing investment, developing relations with Russia. I think that we can look forward in a year or two to the emerging signs of revitalization of that relationship.
        - How do you see the place of St. Petersburg in expanding economic and financial relations between Russia and the UK? Is there a special interest towards St. Petersburg in the UK?
        - I have an enormous belief in the importance of St. Petersburg as the former capital of Russia where in many ways the foundations of the modern relations between Britain and Russia were laid. Many British businesses were involved in the creation of this city, many British figures were involved in the creation of the institutions that Peter the Great established. But I think there is more to the relationship than that. I mean Petersburg was a capital and has many of the attributes of the capital city, it has wonderful collections of museums, palaces, cultural heritage which is unrivaled anywhere else in the world. It has a concentration of educational and research establishments which are world class and many first class businesses. So I think it is a natural place for businessmen, for people who are interested in the future of the arts, simply for people to meet each other through the mechanism of tourism. It is a terribly important city in Russia. It can play and will play, I am convinced, a very important role in the future.
        - Are you satisfied with the present state of relationship between Great Britain and St. Petersburg? In what directions should it develop?
        - Well, I would like to see much more engagement by British people in business, in the arts, coming here as individuals, as tourists active on the ground here in this part of Russia. So our mission is to try to ensure the people do think a little bit more about this city as one which offers potential for future development. So I suppose an honest answer to your question is that I am not entirely satisfied with the relationship. We still have more to do. But I think the way in which it should develop to ensure that more Russian people go to my country, get involved in a variety of activities that are going in the world of business, in the world of social communication, in the arts and cultural activities, go simply as tourists. I would like to see much greater flow of people in that direction. I would like to see a similar flow from Britain to Russia and I want them coming through St. Petersburg.
        - Mr. Guy, traditionally we Russians cannot imagine an Englishman without a pipe, a golf-club, a dog, a car and love for children and monarchy. Is it true?
        - Yes, I think it is true. Of course it is a generalization and like all generalizations you could quarrel with it, but you will find that in large measure it is very true. There are many people who prefer the cricket bat to the golf club or some other activity. But I think the important thing to bear in mind nowadays is that over the past twenty or thirty years from being a rather conservative society, very traditionally minded, British society has become much more extrovert.
        - Mr. Guy, of course you are aware that St. Petersburg is going to open a representative office in London, I know you support it. You are a very experienced diplomat, what could you wish to the future head of this office?
        - Well, I wish him success of course. The task is an enormous one - representing Petersburg would be an enormous honour for anyone but I think a tremendous challenge too, because the city has so much to offer, so much to present to the outside world that it will require enormous dedication, immense reserves of stamina and a great deal of imagination and, of course, resources. I know from having run missions representing my country round the world that unless you get the tools to do the job it can be a very frustrating business. We will certainly do whatever we can to make a success of the venture.
        - What do you think this representative can do for expanding relations between St. Petersburg and Britain?
        - A great deal. The representative needs essentially to be a good networker and, in an informal way, an ambassador for the city. He is going to need to travel widely within the confines of the city of London but also to travel outside London, visit the regions of Britain, to carry the message to our chambers of commerce, to our business associations. Most British people still have in mind an image of Russia that starts and finishes with Moscow. I hope that the new representative will succeed in painting a different picture of Russia, of St. Petersburg.
        - Do you think the image of St. Petersburg in the minds of the British still does not reflect the reality we have here?
        - Oh, I think that is absolutely true. I think if you meet any British visitor coming here for the most time, you will find the overwhelming majority are astonished at what they find here. They are astonished by the richness of the culture, they are astonished by the numbers of cultural establishments, of palaces, galleries; they are amazed by the architectural ensembles which are presented by the historical centre of St. Petersburg. These are things that very few people know about. I can tell you from personal experience of dealing with British people coming to St. Petersburg for the first time that these are things which come as an enormous surprise to them. I think that the next thing to note is that the British people are overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity spirit they encounter when they meet Russian people. I think that the history of our relationship during the Soviet period during past 70 years or so has been one of an estrangement and therefore neither British people nor Russian people have really known or understood each other. There has been a gulf which has kept us apart. That is all changing. One of the happiest things you can experience is just to see people coming from my country meeting spontaneously ordinary Russian people and going away with the most marvellous appreciation of the hospitality shown to them.
        I have been here for 3 and a half years and I have experienced many times the warmth and hospitality of the people of the city. Of course, I've enjoyed living and working here.

Interview by Tatyana Emelyanova