Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Minister of Economy, Etienne Schneider, were among the guests;
Credit: Marie Decker
On Sunday 15 September 2019, East-West United Bank (EWUB), a Luxembourgish bank with Russian shareholders and international customers, celebrated its 45th anniversary with a concert by the Mariinsky Orchestra, under the direction of Valery Gergiev, at the Luxembourg Philharmonie.
Some 300 guests attended the concert and reception, which celebrated both the bank's 45th anniversary and the opening of the musical season at the Philharmonie. Guests included EWUB employees and shareholders, as well as customers, friends and partners of the bank. Among them were Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Economy Minister Etienne Schneider, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, Fernand Etgen, Luxembourg's Ambassador to Russia, Jean-Claude Knebeler, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSFC Sistema, Vladimir Evtushenkov, along with the heads of Luxembourg financial organisations and various companies.
Following the concert by the Mariinsky Orchestra, led by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, Jeannot Krecké, former Minister of the Economy and current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, opened the gala reception with a speech. He congratulated EWUB's management and employees on the anniversary and thanked everyone for their trust in the bank: “East-West United Bank has come a long way over the past 45 years and has become a truly market oriented bank with a wide range of products and professional management. The bank grew and developed along with the economy of Luxembourg and all that was achieved so far is only the beginning of a long road ahead”.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel also delivered a speech in which he emphasised the importance of dialogue and building relationships in the modern world. He presented EWUB as a good example of Luxembourg's cooperation with Russia.
In addition to the bank’s anniversary, the event celebrated another significant moment; just before the concert, the PJSFC Sistema Chairman of the Board, Vladimir Evtushenkov, was awarded the National Order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne). His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Luxembourg decided to present Evtushenkov with this award following the Prime Minister's proposal. The Ordre reflects the active and long-term participation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sistema in the development of economic and cultural ties between Luxembourg and the Russian Federation. Since 2009, Vladimir Evtushenkov has been Honourary Consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in two regions of Russia: the Sverdlovsk region and the Khabarovsk territory.
Vladimir Evtushenkov commented: “It is a great honour for me to receive this high state award of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with whom we have long and reliable partnership. We are grateful to His Royal Highness and the Government of Luxembourg for their continued trust and support. From our side, we are ready to make every effort to further expand business activity and implement joint cultural projects in the interests of strengthening friendship between Russia and Luxembourg”.
At the reception, Evtushenkov presented EWUB with a gift: a painting from a St. Petersburg artist, which will complement the bank’s art collection in its Villa Foch office.
The evening also saw EWUB, whose principle is “building bridges, not walls”, erect another bridge (more than 2,000 kilometers long) between Luxembourg and Russia.
