HSE-Perm Students Meet U.S. Consul General

The Research Center of the A.M. Gorky Perm State Regional Library in Perm recently hosted a rather unusual meeting. It was attended by a special guest, Mr. Otto Hans Van Maerssen, Consul General to Yekaterinburg along with his team, including some American businessmen looking to expand their activities in Russia.

The Research Center of the A.M. Gorky Perm State Regional Library in Perm recently hosted a rather unusual meeting. It was attended by a special guest, Mr. Otto Hans Van Maerssen, Consul General to Yekaterinburg along with his team, including some American businessmen looking to expand their activities in Russia. The meeting also brought together regular readers, students of Perm universities, including HSE-Perm students, and others interested in international politics.

 

Otto Hans Van Maerssen said that as a diplomat, he always found it important to strengthen economic ties between the USA and Russia so his visit to Perm was aimed at establishing contacts between the Perm region and US business. After a brief presentation by Mr Van Maerssen, the meeting participants had a chance to discuss their views on prospects for cooperation and many other topics. The HSE-Perm students were interested to know about the development of relations between Perm and the USA, particularly in the fields of culture and sports. Among other things, the diplomat was asked to share his opinion of the Olympic Games in Sochi. He replied by saying that the opening ceremony was one of the most amazing events he had ever seen.

“The talk with the diplomat was lively, with genuine curiosity on the part of the participants,” said Vyacheslav Presmakov, a first year HSE-Perm student, sharing his impressions of the meeting. “We were delighted to have the opportunity to talk to an important American diplomat face to face. I found the talk extremely informative”.