1st Annual British Press Mission
Moscow, 7-9 October 2002
In October 2002, Eventica organised its first ever press mission to Moscow, with a strong delegation that featured Bridget Kendall, Diplomatic Correspondent, BBC TV; Frank Kane, Business Editor, The Observer; Carl Mortished, International Business Editor, The Times; Mary Dejevsky, Diplomatic Editor, The Independent; George Trefgarne, Economics Editor, Daily Telegraph; Guy Ker, Managing Editor, Channel 4 News, and David Munk, Associate Foreign Editor, The Guardian.
A packed agenda included meetings with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Chairman and CEO of Yukos; Peter Aven, President of Alfa Bank; and Oleg Derispaska, General Director of Russian Aluminium and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Basic Element. The group also called on Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Special Advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Coming just one day before UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's arrival in Moscow, this visit gave the group a unique 'sneak preview' of what Russia's position would be on Iraq and other critical issues to be discussed by the two leaders.
The journalists' agenda also featured a Media Roundtable that has since become a tradition of the now annual mission each autumn, and the Russian Economic Forum in London each April. It was organised in conjunction with Independent Media, moderated by ORT TV presenter Vladimir Pozner, and attended by top Russian and locally based foreign media personalities, including Andrei Vasiliev, General Director, Kommersant Publishing House; Vladimir Kara-Murza, Presenter of "Points of View" on TVS; Andrei Grigoriev, Editor-in-Chief, Kompania Magazine; Vladislav Borodulin, Editor-in-Chief, Gazeta.ru and Andrew Jack, Moscow correspondent for the FT.
Originally intended as a forum for exploring issues related strictly to mass media, the lively discussion covered a wide range of themes, from Russia's role in the international crisis over Iraq, to the Russian public's perceptions of Prime Minister Blair and Britain in general.
Other highlights included a meeting at the British Embassy with local representatives of British companies in Moscow, and an excellent briefing by Charlie Ryan and other senior management of United Financial Group (UFG).
