Greetings from The Grand Duchess Maria

I am very pleased to extend my heartfelt greetings to the organizers of and participants in the celebrations of the 200^th anniversary of the founding of Fort Elizabeth in Hawai’i. 

I very much hope that the events planned around this anniversary will serve as an occasion for the objective study of the history of Russian-American relations and of the role of Russians in the life of the peoples that today make up the American nation.

Turning our gaze to the past, we must draw lessons from history and train our focus on the numerous positive examples of times when difficult international disputes were resolved peacefully. 

I would like to thank the Congress of Russian Americans, the Russian Center New York, and the Novosibirsk State University of Architecture, Design, and Art, which have initiated and organized these celebrations.  I hope very much that the efforts to raise funds for the development of the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park are met with enormous success.

May this Park, which bears the name of the Russian Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna, serve as an enduring symbol of the friendship and mutual respect that once existed, exists now, and must always exist between the Russian and American peoples.

May God bless you all!

St. Petersburg, November 11, 2017