14th December 2017
Port Louis, Mauritius
I arrived in Maurtius in August after four wonderful years in magnificent St Petersburg, Russia’s cultural capital. Russia to Mauritius? Quite a change people would say. Well, they were absolutely right. The biggest change is of course the weather. By December we would be well into a long, dark and freezing Russian winter, whereas in […]
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15th May 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Commemorating the heroic sacrifice of the veterans of the Arctic Convoys of World War Two has been an important part of my role in St Petersburg over the past four years. I was delighted and honoured to be invited to participate in special events at Loch Ewe in remote North Western Scotland on 6-7 May […]
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19th April 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
We have been very fortunate to have had many wonderful events over the past few years commemorating many different periods of shared history between Russia and the UK. The latest event took place in early April when a delegation of retired officers from the Royal Scots Greys visited St Petersburg to present a replica dress uniform […]
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6th April 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I paid a farewell visit to the ‘hero city’ of Murmansk in late March. I’ve enjoyed many interesting visits to this Arctic city over the past few years but my introduction back in autumn 2013 was a little unexpected. Instead of the routine range of introductory calls, my first visit to Murmansk included a prison […]
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10th March 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I have made over a dozen visits to Arkhangelsk since autumn 2013. It’s a very special place in Russia for the UK and I was keen to make one final visit before I leave Russia to thank our key contacts and underline our commitment to future friendship and engagement. Visiting Arkhangelsk has been a highlight […]
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3rd February 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Late January is always an important time for Scotland’s cultural relationship with Russia and in particular St Petersburg. Not only do we celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, but we also welcome friends from the St Petersburg Forum who visit St Petersburg every year for Days of Scotland. Importantly, the Days of […]
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