Dublin will seek to strengthen its partnership with St Petersburg and Moscow to foster trade, tourism and travel between the cities during a festival next week.
Lord Mayor Andrew Montague unveiled the third annual Dublin City Festival of Russian Culture at the Mansion House today, emphasising the economic and cultural links between the two countries.
“We’re very lucky in Dublin that we have so many Russian-speakers and Russians living here. Having real, human links, having those relationships back to Russia gives us a huge advantage,” the mayor said.
The week long festivities start on Monday and will celebrate Ireland’s large Russian-speaking community, estimated at up to 200,000 people, through traditional music and food and other artistic and educational activities.
From swapping chess-playing tips with a grand master to exclusive cinematic screenings, the event will culminate on Sunday, February 26th with Maslenitsa, or “Pancake Day,” a family-friendly celebration in Temple Bar.
Vladimir Popov, of the Ireland Russia Business Association, said the goal of the event was to help Russian-speakers integrate in Ireland.
With such a wealth of Russian-speakers on Irish soil, there is also a hope that the festival will bring additional economic benefits, increasing trade and tourism, he said.
“Last year we saw quite substantial uptick in the trade, trade nearly doubled,” Mr Popov said. “Quite a few people who came to the events sought more about Russian markets and maybe applied more energy meeting people and selling their goods and service to Russia.”
Having been in a partnership agreement with Moscow since 2009, Dublin is seeking a similar friendship agreement with St. Petersburg.
The lord mayor said he hopes to visit Russia sometime in the next few months, with plans to eventually bring exhibit pieces from the renowned State Hermitage Museum to the Chester Beatty Library.
However, friendship between the two countries is nothing new as Moscow has held a St. Patrick’s Day parade for the last 20 years.
Moreover, through its resident community of Russian-speakers, Dublin is looking to forge research, development and business links with innovation centres in St Petersburg.
Due to their linguistic and cultural heritage, Ireland’s Russian-speakers provide a bridge for small Irish companies attempting to access the Russian market, said Peter Finnegan, director of the Dublin City Council’s Office of International Relations and Research.
“By building these links, we are enhancing the activity of those companies. What we’re trying to do is create an atmosphere where Ireland is known, Dublin is known and valued in Russia,” Mr Finnegan said.