OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2007. Over 50 Alfa Fellowship Program Fellows, alumni, and friends gathered on the evening of May 18 to celebrate the inaugural Alfa Fellowship Program Alumni gala. Distinguished guests and speakers included Mikhail Fridman, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Alfa Group Consortium and of the Board of Directors of Alfa-Bank, and Peter Aven, President of Alfa-Bank. Also in attendance were Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, and Consul General Sergey Garmonin, Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York.

CDS International, a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting international business training and intercultural exchange, collaborated with the Moscow-based international education and cultural exchange organization, Center for International Fellowships, to organize the Alfa Fellowship Program’s first alumni meeting since the program?s inception in 2004. Mikhail Fridman and Peter Aven presented awards to the Fellows in recognition of their contributions to U.S.-Russian relations.

"As Russia and the United States move farther from the days of the Cold War, it is vitally important that we each develop a thorough and accurate understanding based on the new realities which form the modern Russian — American relationship. We believe the Alfa Fellows Program is one way in which this understanding can be fostered and enhanced, and we are proud to sponsor the program and look forward to its continued growth in the future"- Mr. Fridman said.

The Alfa Fellowship Program is an initiative of Alfa-Bank designed to provide high-level work experience at leading Russian organizations to young U.S. professionals in the fields of business, economics, journalism, law, public policy, and government. The fellowship program provides language training, seminar programs, and extended professional assignments. Its key goals include expanding U.S. and Russian professionals? networks, developing greater intercultural understanding, and advancing U.S.-Russian relations. By sponsoring the Alfa Fellowship Program, Alfa-Bank demonstrates its commitment to fostering a new generation of American and Russian leaders with the expertise required to sustain and improve U.S.-Russian ties.