Philadelphia Commemorates First Russian Consul to U.S.

• Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council

On August 20, 2009, the Mid-Atlantic – Russia Business Council (MARBC), in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia, will host an event commemorating the bicentennial of the first Russian Consul’s arrival in the United States in Philadelphia. The event will be formally opened at Philadelphia City Hall and will be followed by a conference. Members of the MARBC, representatives of the business community, as well as Mid-Atlantic state, Philadelphia, and Russian officials will commemorate this historic event.

Philadelphia mayor Michael A. Nutter will present an address welcoming the current Russian ambassador, Sergei Ivanovich Kislyak, who will give a keynote presentation. Following the welcome, a conference will take place discussing the history and future of Russian-American relations. A key feature of this discussion will be business, centering on the development of relations between the Mid-Atlantic region and Russia. The conference will also cover some of the recent developments in business relations and the Russian-American presidents’ meeting in July.

The first Russian ambassador to the United States, Andrei Yakovlevich Dashkov, arrived in Philadelphia in July 1809. Appointed by Czar Aleksandr I as the Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General to the United States, Dashkov served ten years under two administrations.

Historically, the Mid-Atlantic was the first region of the United States to develop strong ties with Russia. Early connections included Benjamin Franklin’s induction as the first American member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, followed by Franklin’s nomination of Ekaterina Dashkova as the first female, and the first Russian member of the American Philosophical Society. Today, it continues to be the leading region for Russian-American business, technology, education and culture, and is home to the largest Russian community in the U.S. In 2008, Pennsylvania became the first state to open a Representative Office in Russia, highlighting the close ties between Russia and the Mid-Atlantic. Proclaimed in Philadelphia in 2003, the Russian-American Innovation Technology Week, one of more than twenty events hosted by the MARBC, is the largest semiannual Russian-American technology event in the U.S.

For more information or to request an invitation, please contact Val Kogan, Mid-Atlantic-Russia Business Council by email: val@ma-rbc.org, or visit the MARBC website at: http://www.ma-rbc.org.

About the Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council. Since 1994, MARBC has worked to foster business relations between Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region, while cultivating mutual appreciation of political, economic, cultural, and educational interests. The goal of MARBC is to enable companies based in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region to enhance their positions in Russia and the CIS and to attract Russian businesses to the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region.