The President's Loyal Banker
came from Washington with congratulations
World Bank President James Wolfensohn considered it necessary to personally congratulate Vladimir Putin on his birthday. Yesterday he flew to Moscow, and today he will see the Russian president in St. Petersburg.

Mr. Wolfensohn is a big fan of Russian art. In the spring of this year, he and then also... O. President listened to Sergei Prokofiev's opera "War and Peace" staged by Andron Konchalovsky at the Mariinsky Theater. People around the World Bank President argued that James Wolfensohn generally tries not to miss a single new theatrical production or film by the famous Russian director, who has been working in Hollywood for a long time. Mr. Wolfensohn also loves Russian hunting - he has shot with Viktor Chernomyrdin more than once. True, the former Russian prime minister's most reliable bear-hunting companion was former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus. But this is a completely different case. Mr. Camdessus's father ran a hunting store.
Today at the Mariinsky Theater they are performing Tchaikovsky's opera "Mazeppa" about the hetman's uprising against the tsar. But Vladimir Putin, most likely, will prefer not to listen to all this and will choose a traditional banquet with governors and bankers. Mister Wolfensohn will follow him.

KONSTANTIN Kommersant-SMIRNOV

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 188 dated 10/07/2000, p. 2

Authors:

Konstantin Smirnov