“Here I first kissed Boria”. The story of one photo
Birthday Naina Yeltsin, wife of the first President of Russia, the special correspondent of “AIF”, photographer Vladimir Svartsevich recalls the story of his most exciting and emotional scenes with her.
Being the presidents of Russia and the USA Boris Yeltsin and bill Clinton agreed to be friends families. The first step was done by their wives in the fall of 1997.
Naina Yeltsin and Hillary Clinton arranged to meet the women’s summit: the event, which was attended by all business women of the Urals. In Yekaterinburg are well able to accept the highest offer: only for the movement the first lady of Russia and the USA the city were involved 1,200 police officers.
Mrs Clinton arrived from Washington on a private jet with the big team. Naina Yeltsin, several of her aides and journalists in Ekaterinburg from Moscow brought airliner “Aeroflot”. In the capital of the Urals, they were warmly welcomed by the then Governor Eduard Rossel: during the tea party he has treated women pie with an unusual filling of chocolates.
The Ural state University, where he expected to meet, built a podium for the press and television photographers. From the Desk of the principal persons of journalists separated the red ribbon and double barrier protection: Russian and American sides.
Were invited to a meeting of 120 businesswomen of Ural and 350 students: all pressured to dress up more elegant. Admitted to the University operators, especially the us, gave the order to shoot Hillary Clinton exclusively through a pink filter. They say that in this case Mrs. Clinton looks particularly impressive. Although the effect came back. In those days, for the eyes of America’s first lady was nicknamed the “Cardboard durilka”: seeing aimed at her camera, Mrs. Clinton was in the pose, putting on a face “mask” with a smile and in all directions, staring eyes. During the meeting she spoke the words of the Protocol about politics and democracy in the global women’s movement.
But Naina decided to tell a different story: in a low voice explained to the audience about “the contribution of the University” in her personal life, about how he met with Boris Yeltsin, and how a year later their first kiss with the future President of Russia is here at the University. Everyone was embarrassed by this revelation. Hung painful pause, the interpreter whispered something into the ear of Clinton, and that in response, nodding his head.
To defuse the situation the glib student, the question that shocked everyone: “Naina, and in what place in the University need to kiss a guy to become the wife of the President of Russia?”
Naina contagious laugh (at this point, and was made this picture). Question the first lady of Russia obviously liked. She sheepishly answered the student: “Say! You only one ear”. And so she did.
On the evening of November 11, 1997 — I gave Naina that picture, which is now stored in the family album Yeltsin.