List of ambassadors of Russia to France

Last updated

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the French Republic
MID emblem.png
Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Alexey Meshkov, 2016.jpg
Incumbent
Aleksey Meshkov  [ ru ]
since 23 October 2017
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Russia in Paris
Style His Excellency
The Honourable
Reports to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Seat Paris
Appointer President of Russia
Term length At the pleasure of the President
Website Embassy of Russia in France

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President and the Government of France.

Contents

The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in France. [1] There are consulates general in Strasbourg and Marsailles, an honorary consul in Lyon, and a vice-consulate in Biarritz. [2] [3] [4] [5] The post of Russian Ambassador to France is currently held by Aleksey Meshkov  [ ru ], incumbent since 23 October 2017. [6] The Russian ambassador to France is concurrently accredited as ambassador to Monaco, where there is an honorary consul general. [7]

History of diplomatic relations

Russian-French contacts began on August 9, 1717, when Hans Christoph Shleynits, the first Russian ambassador to France, was appointed by Tsar Peter I of Russia and presented his credentials to King Louis XV of France. [8] France responded by sending its first ambassador to Russia, Jacques de Campredon, in September 1721. [9] Since then, relations were fairly constant between the two countries, although they were severed and restored many times. Overall, relations between France and Russia have been very close, and French was even considered the unofficial second language of Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries.[ citation needed ]

Relations between the two countries were severed in 1733 with the start of the War of the Polish Succession and resumed in 1738. Poor relations between the revolutionary government of France and the Russian Monarchy led to relations being severed in 1792. The Napoleonic Wars marked the start of new conflicts between Russia and France, and relations were not restored until the conclusion of the War of the Second Coalition between Russia and France in 1800. The War of the Third Coalition in 1805 led to the disruption of diplomatic relations once again, which were not restored until the signing of the Treaty of Paris on November 20, 1815. Russia and France conflicted over different views on the Revolutions of 1848 and the French support of revolutions in multinational countries. This led to the Crimean War on March 27, 1854, which ended with a Russian defeat on March 30, 1856. [10] Relations between the two countries improved after that, and remained uninterrupted until the October Revolution of 1917. [9]

Flag of Russia.svg Diplomatic relations between Russia and France Flag of France.svg
Russian Empire Flag of Russia.svg
August 5, 1717 – Establishment of diplomatic relations
1733 – Diplomatic relations broken off, War of the Polish Succession begins
1738 – Restoration of diplomatic relations, War of the Polish Succession ends
1748 – Diplomatic relations broken off, Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends War of the Austrian Succession
1755 – Restoration of diplomatic relations
1756 - Diplomatic Revolution, alliance for Seven Years' War
1799–1800 – War of the Second Coalition
1800 – Restoration of diplomatic relations
August 28, 1804 – Diplomatic relations broken off, War of the Third Coalition
June 26, 1807 – Restoration of diplomatic relations, Treaty of Tilsit
1812 – Diplomatic relations severed, French invasion of Russia
May 18, 1814 – Restoration of diplomatic relations, Treaty of Paris (1815)
January 23, 1854 – Diplomatic relations severed, Crimean War
March 18, 1856 – Restoration of diplomatic relations, Treaty of Paris (1856)
August 21, 1891 – Franco-Russian Alliance
1904 – Triple Entente formed
Soviet Union Flag of the Soviet Union.svg
October 26, 1917 – October Revolution, diplomatic relations severed
October 28, 1924 – Diplomatic relations established
May 2, 1935 – Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance
June 30, 1941 – Diplomatic relations severed, Operation Barbarossa
October 23, 1944 – Restoration of diplomatic relations
Russian Federation Flag of Russia.svg
February 7, 1992 – France recognizes the Russian Federation as successor to the USSR

French Prime Minister Édouard Herriot sent a telegram to Alexey Rykov, the President of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, on October 26, 1924, informing him of the French recognition of the establishment of the Soviet Union. When Germany declared war on the Soviet Union on June 30, 1941, the Vichy France government broke off diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, but never officially entered a state of war. Relations were reestablished on October 23, 1944, with the Soviet recognition of the new Provisional Government of the French Republic. Since then, relations between the new nations remained unbroken, although they were strained at times during the Cold War. [9] [11]

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, relations between France and the new Russian Federation were warm, and France recognized Russia as the successor of the USSR on February 7, 1992. [9] [12]

List of representatives (1711 – present)

Representatives of the Tsardom of Russia to the Kingdom of France (1711 – 1721)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Grigory Volkov Chargé d'affaires 1 July 1711October 1712
Ivan Lefort Chargé d'affaires 17161717
Hans Christoph Shleynits Envoy 9 August 17171720
Vasily Dolgorukov Dolgorukov Vasiliy Lukich (painted portrait).jpg Envoy 25 September 17202 November 1721
Source: Diplomats of the Russian Empire- France [10]

Representatives of the Russian Empire to the Kingdom of France (1721 – 1792)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Vasily Dolgorukov Dolgorukov Vasiliy Lukich (painted portrait).jpg Envoy 2 November 172116 March 1722
Alexander Kurakin Alexandr Borisovich Kurakin (1697-1749) by Georg Christoph Grooth.jpg Ambassador 4 May 17221724
Boris Kurakin Boris Ivanovich Kurakin by Peter Gunst.jpg Ambassador 4 May 172217 October 1727
Alexander Kurakin Alexandr Borisovich Kurakin (1697-1749) by Georg Christoph Grooth.jpg Ambassador 17 October 172711 July 1728
Aleksandr Golovkin  [ ru ]Chief of mission (before 1729)
Envoy (after 1729)
17281731
Ernst Johann Graf von Münnich  [ ru ] Chargé d'affaires July 17311733
Antiokh Kantemir Poet Prince Antiokh Kantemir.jpg Envoy (before 11 December 1738)
Ambassador (11 December 1738 - 24 September 1742)
Envoy (after 24 September 1742)
18 April 173831 March 1744
Aleksey Gross  [ ru ] Heinrich Gross by anonymous (18 c., Odessa museum).jpg Chargé d'affaires (before 1745)
Envoy (after 1745)
31 March 1744June 1748
Fyodor Bekhteyev  [ ru ] Chargé d'affaires 175611 July 1757
Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin M P Bestuzhev-Ryumin.jpg Ambassador 10 August 175626 February 1760
Piotr Chernyshev RusPortraits v2-134 Le comte Pierre Grigoriewitch Tchernycheff.jpg Ambassador 4 July 176026 July 1762
Sergei Saltykov S.V. Saltykov.jpg Ambassador 1762August 1763
Dmitri Golitsyn D.A. Golitsyn by M. Collot 02.jpg Ambassador 17621768
Nikolai Khotinsky Chargé d'affaires 17671774
Ivan Baryatinskiy  [ ru ] Baryatinsky Ivan Sergeevich.jpg Ambassador August 17731785
Ivan Simolin  [ ru ] Ambassador 14 March 17847 February 1792Recalled in 1792
Formally ambassador until his death on 19 September 1799
Source: Diplomats of the Russian Empire- France [10]

Representatives of the Russian Empire to the First French Empire (1800 – 1812)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Georg Magnus Sprengtporten Graf Sprengtporten.jpg Special Envoy 18001800
Stepan Kolychyov  [ ru ] Stepan Alexeevich Kolychev.jpg Ambassador 18001 July 1801
Arkady Morkov Le Comte Arcade Ivanowitch Morkoff.jpg Ambassador 1 July 180126 October 1803
Pyotr Ubri  [ ru ] Pierre Yakovlewitch Oubril.jpg Chargé d'affaires 15 November 180328 August 1804
Pyotr Ubri  [ ru ] Pierre Yakovlewitch Oubril.jpg Special Envoy2 May 18069 July 1806
Pyotr Tolstoy Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy.jpg Ambassador 31 August 180719 October 1808
Nikolay Rumyantsev Rumyan.jpg Special Envoy4 October 18082 February 1809
Grigory Gagarin  [ ru ] Gagarin G.I.jpg Chargé d'affaires October 1808November 1808
Alexander Kurakin Borovikovsky portrait of Kurakine A 1802.jpg Ambassador 19 October 180810 November 1812
Source: Diplomats of the Russian Empire- France [10]

Representatives of the Russian Empire to the Kingdom of France (1814 – 1852)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo Pozzo di Borgo.jpg Envoy (before 17 February 1821
Ambassador (after 17 February 1821)
1 April 18145 January 1835
Pavel Medem Pavel Ivanovich Medem.jpg Chargé d'affaires 31 January 18351835
Pyotr Palen Peter Graf von der Pahlen.jpg Ambassador 11 March 18358 April 1851
Nikolai Kiselyov  [ ru ] Nikolay Kiseloyv.jpg Chargé d'affaires (before 8 April 1851)
Special Envoy (8 April 1851 - 6 January 1853)
18512 December 1852

Representatives of the Russian Empire to the Second French Empire (1852 – 1870)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Nikolai Kiselyov  [ ru ] ND Kiselev.jpg Special Envoy (8 April 1851 - 6 January 1853)
Envoy (after 6 January 1853)
2 December 185213 January 1854
Philipp von Brunnow Brunnov Filipp Ivanovich, 1870.jpg Special Envoy6 May 185629 January 1857
Pavel Kiselyov Kiseleff.jpg Ambassador 11 July 185615 September 1862
Andrey Budberg Budberg-af.jpg Ambassador 3 November 186210 April 1868
Ernest Stackelberg Ernest Gustavovich Shtakelberg.jpg Ambassador 25 April 186830 April 1870
Grigory Okunev  [ ru ] Chargé d'affaires 18701870
Philipp von Brunnow Philipp Graf von Brunnow, Vanity Fair, 1870-12-03.jpg Ambassador (nominal)21 May 187028 November 1870
Source: Diplomats of the Russian Empire- France [10]

Representatives of the Russian Empire to the French Third Republic (1871 – 1917)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Nikolay Orlov Nikolay Alekseyevich Orlov.jpg Ambassador 11 December 18718 February 1884
Arthur von Mohrenheim Morengeim Artur Pavlovich.jpg Ambassador 8 February 188418 November 1897
Lev Urusov  [ ru ] Lev Pavlovich Urusov.jpg Ambassador 19 November 18971904
Aleksandr Nelidov Nelidov Alexandr (1835-1910).jpg Ambassador 19045 September 1910
Alexander Izvolsky Izvol'skii Aleksandr Petrovich, 1894.jpg Ambassador 19103 March 1917
Source: Diplomats of the Russian Empire- France [10]

Representatives of the Russian Provisional Government to the French Third Republic (1917)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Alexander Izvolsky Izvol'skii Aleksandr Petrovich, 1894.jpg Ambassador March 19171917
Matvey Sevastopulo Chargé d'affaires 19171917
Vasily Maklakov Vasily Maklakov 1917.jpg Ambassador 191726 October 1917 (unaccredited after the October Revolution)

Representatives of the Soviet Union to the Republic of France (1924–1991)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Leonid Krasin Krasin.jpg Plenipotentiary14 November 192430 October 1925
Christian Rakovsky Rakovsky01.jpg Plenipotentiary30 October 192521 October 1927
Valerian Dovgalevsky Dovgalevsky Valerian.jpg Plenipotentiary21 October 192714 July 1934
Marcel Rosenberg Marcel Rosenberg.jpg Chargé d'affaires 1931September 1934
Vladimir Potemkin Plenipotentiary25 November 19344 April 1937
Yakov Surits Plenipotentiary4 April 193729 March 1940
Aleksandr Bogomolov  [ ru ]Plenipotentiary (before 9 May 1941)
Ambassador (after 9 May 1941)
29 March 194030 June 1941
Aleksandr Bogomolov  [ ru ]Representative to the French Committee of National Liberation until 23 October 1944
Ambassador after 23 October 1944
21 September 194325 March 1950
Aleksey Pavlov  [ ru ] Ambassador 25 April 19507 July 1953
Sergey Vinogradov  [ ru ] Ambassador 7 July 195324 March 1965
Valerian Zorin Ambassador 24 March 195618 September 1971
Peter Abrassimov Chlen VS GSVG Gubin I.A. s suprugoi Posol SSSR v GDR Abrasimov P.A., Zaitseva M.I. i Glavkom Zaitsev M.M.. Berlin 1983 cropped to highlight PA.jpg Ambassador 18 September 19719 April 1973
Stepan Chervonenko Ambassador 3 May 197320 January 1983
Yuli Vorontsov Ambassador 20 January 198319 June 1986
Yakov Ryabov  [ ru ] Ambassador 19 June 198623 May 1990
Yuri Dubinin Ambassador 23 May 199025 December 1991
Source: Reference History of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union [13]

Representatives of the Russian Federation to France (1991 - present)

NameImageTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Yuri Ryzhov Ambassador 4 January 199218 December 1998
Nikolay Afanasevsky Nikolay Afanasevsky.jpg Ambassador 4 January 199220 February 2002
Aleksandr Avdeyev Avdeev Aleksandr Alekseevich.jpg Ambassador 21 February 200216 March 2007
Alexander Orlov  [ ru ] AlexanderOrlov.gif Ambassador 14 October 200823 October 2017
Aleksey Meshkov  [ ru ] Alexey Meshkov, 2016.jpg Ambassador 23 October 2017
Source: [12] [14] [15] [16]

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References

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  2. "Генеральное консульство России в Страсбурге" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  3. "Генеральное консульство Российской Федерации в Марселе" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  4. "Russian Honorary Consulate in Lyon, France". embassypages.com. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  5. "Russian Honorary Vice Consulate in Biarritz, France". embassypages.com. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. "Алексей Юрьевич МЕШКОВ" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  7. "Консульство" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  8. Christopher Kenneth (September 2010). "Russia and France marking a special year in special diplomatic relations". The Russia Corporate World. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Franco-Russian relations" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vitaliy Solovyev. "France (Residence in Paris)" (in Russian). Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  11. "Franco-Russian Alliance" (in Russian). Soviet Historical Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  12. 1 2 Alexander Bocharnikov. "Alexander Orlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia to the French Republic" (in Russian). Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  13. "Authoritative representation – the USSR Embassy in France" (in Russian). Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  14. "Alexander A. Avdeev" (in Russian). Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  15. "Yuri Ryzhov" (in Russian). Presidium of Russian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  16. "The Russian ambassador to Poland Nikolai Afanasievsky died in Warsaw" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. Retrieved 2011-01-30.