The collection of diplomatic documents «Russia and the Order of Malta. 1697-1817» was presented on 18 June 2019 at the Mansion of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs of Russia, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov.

The collection focuses on the importance of contacts between Russia and the Order of Malta, and on their impact on European politics of 18th century.The documents presented in the collection tell about the most interesting and richest period of bilateral relations – from their establishment under Peter the Great to the termination of the Order’s activity in Russia in the time of Alexander I. The volume contains for the first time unique materials from the Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire, the Archive of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the National Library (Valletta), the French National Archives, the Archive of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vatican Secret Archives, the Magistral Archive (Rome).

The volume is supplemented with illustrations of historical documents, as well as exhibits from the collections of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the State Hermitage (St. Petersburg) and the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow).

The presentation was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and International Relations of Order of Malta, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, the Honorary Consul of the Council of Ministers in Russia M.E. Kusnirovich, and also by members of diplomatic corps accredited in Moscow, as well as of academic circles and public organizations.

The participants of the events viewed a documentary exhibition from the Foreign Policy Archives of the Russian Empire.