US CONSULATE GENERAL CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY
Fifteen years ago, on March 31, 1994, the first foreign diplomatic mission opened for business in the Urals and Western Siberia. The U.S. Consulate General was officially inaugurated by Ron Brown, the Secretary of Commerce appointed by President Bill Clinton as the first African-American to serve in that position. The Yekaterinburg Consulate was also the first US diplomatic mission to open in the Russian Federation.
On Tuesday, March 31, to commemorate the 15th Anniversary, the U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg held a reception at the Atrium Palace Hotel in the presence of many dignitaries and guests. The special guests included the Mayor of Yekaterinburg, Arkadiy Chernetsky, Sverdlovsk Oblast Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations, Alexander Kharlov, the Mayor of Perm, Igor Shubin, and other governmental, political, cultural, religious, NGO and business leaders, many of whom have participated in exchange programs with the United States.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent a special video greeting to U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle, U.S. Consul General Tim Sandusky, foreign diplomats, and Sverdlovsk Oblast Governor Eduard Rossel. She warmly remembered her prior visit to Yekaterinburg in November, 1997 as First Lady. She also sent greetings on behalf of President Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States. History has a way of coming in circles and echoing common themes.
The Secretary’s message mentioned her memories of the dynamic vitality of the Urals and Western Siberian consular district, a region the size of India with a population of more than 25 million people. She remembered her visit to the “Bonum” medical center where American and Canadian doctors performed surgeries for children and was glad that this work continued. She was also struck at that time by the “energy, enthusiasm and intelligence of the women who live in the Urals.” She expressed confidence that relations between the US and Russia would continue to deepen and encouraged the people of the Urals region to continue prospering in the future in cooperation with the United States and other countries.
Eric Rubin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, congratulated the Consulate General. Mr. Rubin remembered that he had served on a committee in Washington DC in the early 1990s that had planned the opening of new U.S. consulates in Russia, including Yekaterinburg.
Previous Consul General Jim Bigus (1999-2001) and Department of Energy Deputy Director Jon Shearer were among the representatives of the U.S. government present at the reception. Jack Segal, the first Consul General in Yekaterinburg from 1994-1995, and his wife, Karen Puschel, the first Political Officer, also sent video greetings, as did former Consul Generals Dale Eppler (2001-2003) and Scott Rauland (2002-2004).
To recognize the importance of the U.S. government’s commitment to continue exchange programs in the region, alumni were invited to submit photographs from their program visits to the United States. The best photographs were displayed on the walls of the Atrium Palace Hotel and published in a booklet entitled “America through the eyes of the Exchange Program Alumni” that was distributed at the reception.
Other events associated with the celebration of the Consulate’s 15th anniversary included the opening of an art exhibit on March 31 at the Sverdlovsk Oblast Regional Studies Museum. The exhibition, entitled “Mezzotint: Out of Darkness,” featured the works of 27 artists from four countries including the U.S. This was the first international mezzotint exhibition of this scale and quality in Russia, raising its significance on the local cultural scene. Mezzotint is a difficult art medium, and the display of works from different artists and countries will contribute to the development of this art form. In celebration of Jazz Month and the U.S. Consulate’s 15th Anniversary, renowned jazz musician Paul Winter will be the guest performer on April 12 at Yekaterinburg’s Emerald City Jazz Festival.