Esteemed Friends of FAVORIT, Dear Readers,
We are very glad to publish our magazine in spite of the challenges caused by almost two years of Covid pandemics and to have been successful in convincing our friends and sponsors not to abandon FAVORIT, a genuine tool of dialogue and source of quality and first-hand information for the residing Russian speaking community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is our pleasure to present you the magazine 2022, rich of interesting and inspiring content. We are also thrilled to hold this year once again the annual FAVORIT Entrepreneurship Award and the famous FAVORIT gala dinner at the Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne and to look into the future with faith and optimism. The 2022 FAVORIT edition fits into the scheme we have defi- ned last year: a reader-friendly magazine that addresses some aspects of the Swiss reality, in particular banking and tax issues, but also diplomatic, cultural, artistic, and touristic parameters that are relevant to our demanding public. In addition to that, FAVORIT is enlarging both its readership to the whole Russian speaking community – including Uzbekistan in the current edi- tion – and expanding its geographical influence, by focusing in the 2022 edition on the canton of Ticino. Why did we choose Uzbekistan? Because this country, under the guidance of a dynamic Government, is going through an im- pressive process of economic development, as H.E. Mr Ulugbek Lapasov, its Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, explains in the following pages. And why Ticino? Because for centuries, numerous architects, foremen and builders left this wonderful canton and made their way to Russia. Today the Canton of Ticino is the home of numerous Russians, which are residing in this unique region in the Southern part of Swit- zerland. We have therefore met several influential personalities like Ignazio Cassis, the current Swiss foreign minister, Mario Botta, an iconic Swiss architect known worldwide, and Gian- carlo Olgiati, one of the main art collectors of Contemporary Art in Europe and are happy to present to you their exclusive views and insights. We also take this opportunity to extend our warm gratitude to Nina Fois, our editorial team member, graduated in Russian language and literature, contemporary history with a special focus on Easter Europe and political sciences, whose work and commitment were fundamental for the Ticino dimension of the FAVORIT magazine 2022. Lastly, dear Readers, we are delighted to announce a pleasant development within the FAVORIT format: from 2022, we will establish a new annual event for our faithful friends and supporters in the form of a FAVORIT Summer garden-party, which will take place in the Lausanne region. You will learn more about it in a few months. On this positive note, we would like to cheerfully thank each of you for fostering the solid relations between Switzerland and Russia/Eurasia. And of course, we wish you an exciting reading and all the best for a successful 2022. Olivier Mancassola, Publication Director Pierre Helg, Chief Redactor Price: 25.-CHF |