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for spt Richard Lewis is one of the foremost thought leaders on cross-cultural understanding.

Finns used to say that the best sight in Stockholm was the 6 p.m. boat leaving for Helsinki. By the same token, it could be said today that the best sight in Finland is the Allegro leaving Helsinki station every morning at 9 a.m., bound for St. Petersburg.

I had the occasion to experience this exhilarating ride recently when I was invited to give lectures in St. Petersburg in two prominent academic institutions — the University of Humanities and Social Sciences and the European University — in the city.

In both universities I was impressed by the quality of the audience, in marked contrast to those I had addressed in earlier times in Moscow. Soviet-epoch audiences listened dutifully, but their reactions were restrained, smiles guarded, feedback almost non-existent. The audiences I now addressed in St. Petersburg were warm, sympathetic listeners, showing keen interest in other cultures.

Russia is in fact one of the most multicultural countries in the world (alongside Canada and the United States) and therefore cross-cultural discussions are of great interest and very meaningful for Russians.

The more I interacted with Russian people, the more I realized that they possess the totality of what I would consider essentially European characteristics — generosity, courtesy, compassion, love of learning, sense of humor, eloquence, etc.

In fact, one could argue that in some sense they are the perfect Europeans, having positive characteristics from both Northern and Southern Europe. They also possess a few sterling Asian traits such as adaptability, self-sacrifice and stoicism in adversity. In summary, I sensed strongly their breadth of vision — a quality that must serve them well in the future.

Yet Russia tends to do poorly in country branding rankings.

For instance, in the Reputation Institute’s 2012 list of 50 countries, Russia came in near the bottom, at number 45, and at number 83 in the broader 2012 Country Brand Index, despite millions of dollars being spent on public diplomacy to improve the nation’s image internationally since 2005.

Of course there is the challenge of the media’s negative portrayals of Russia with a focus on stories about conflict or instability. There is also an international sense that there is a duality and inconsistency of messages from Russia (domestic versus international), which can increase unfavorable perceptions. These may be only perceptions, but they matter, and can take generations to change, and plenty of patience.

So, at a time of national soul-searching and repositioning, what is their future? What indeed is Russian cultural identity?

On top of the wealth of qualities outlined above (and which must imply capacity for leadership in both European and Eurasian contexts), the country is reputed for its rich and comprehensive artistic history as well as its advances in the fields of science and space technology.

The nation’s extensive assets in oil, gas and minerals should provide a steady improvement in standards of education and living in general. Russians have already begun to travel abroad in large numbers, thereby broadening their knowledge and worldview from year to year. It would be a mistake to underestimate or discount Russian influence in the coming decade.

Patience may be essential, but Russians — in the Asian part of their dual soul — have it in abundance. The motto of Field Marshal Kutuzov, in Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” was “patience and time.”

If Russia is set to thrive, what are the implications for Finland?

The destinies of Finland and Russia are inevitably intertwined. Their lands adjoined each other many centuries before either culture acquired the status of a nation state.

Long before political developments, their peoples, partly of Asian provenance, followed the northward migration of game at the end of the last Ice Age and settled northern (including Arctic) territories.

A linguistic map of Russia west of the Urals shows a scattering of ancient migrating tribes speaking Uralic languages (to which family Finno-Ugric belongs), mingling and often settling on Russian territory. Such cultural islands, surrounded by Russian peoples, are the present-day Komi, Voguls, Mari, Volyaks, Ostyaks, Mordvins and, closer to the Baltic, Karelians and Ingrians. Lapps (Sami) continue to inhabit adjoining areas in northern Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Kola peninsula.

Both Finns and northwestern Russians are cold climate peoples, inheritors of an austere environment that caused their ancestors considerable hardship.

Cold latitudes engender cool, sturdy, resilient individuals with an inordinate capacity for self-reliance and a survival instinct. The arctic survivor must have stamina, guts and powers of invention. The diagram below illustrates differences in Russian and Finnish qualities, but markedly indicates numerous striking commonalities.

In spite of the Russo-Finnish hostilities in 1939-45 (a period of war which would probably have not taken place had it not been for the menace of Nazism) I have remarked on many occasions that Finns like Russians as people. During my recent trip, Russians showed a friendly interest in Finland — in fact, I gave a long interview to a journalist from St. Petersburg’s BaltInfo news agency, discussing the good relations that exist today.

The period of Russian rule in Finland, which lasted 108 years (1809-1917), bore no resemblance in character or essence to other Russian occupations of the 19th and 20th centuries. A formula was found that was acceptable to the Tsar but that also met the political and cultural requirements of the Finnish people.

The first confirmation of a guarantee of dignity was apparent in Finland’s status within the Russian Empire.

Finland was called a Grand Duchy, the Tsar of Russia also being the Grand Duke of Finland. Tsar Alexander I was a confirmed liberal. He treated the Finns with due respect. The Lutheran Church was left untouched and all members of the senate were Finns. They reported directly to the Tsar and were not responsible to the Russian Civil Service.

In general the Finns remained loyal to Russia during the politically turbulent 19th century. Finnish was spoken on both sides of the border, reducing the confrontational aspect of the frontier. Thousands of Finns served in the Russian Imperial Army. Hundreds of them achieved the rank of General or Admiral.

Again Finland remained loyal to Russia during the Crimean War. Alexander II was so popular in Finland that his statue stands in front of the National Cathedral. Lenin liked Finland — he hid there before the revolution; and Stalin respected Finland, especially the country’s military skills. Krushchev, Molotov and Brezhnev all exhibited reluctance to bully their neighbor.

Finnish presidents Paasikivi and Kekkonen pursued a friendly policy with Russia, showing that it was possible to maintain friendly relations with the Soviet Union while simultaneously strengthening political, economic and cultural ties with the west.

From a 2013 standpoint, a prosperous internationalizing Russia must inevitably be of increasing benefit to Finland.

Tourism from Russia is mushrooming rapidly (1.2 million entry visas to Finland were issued in 2012 compared with 373,000 in 2005). Large numbers of Russians are buying property in Finland (more than 300 million euros were invested in private property between 2008 and 2012) and many Russian companies are setting up offices in Helsinki for logistical and other reasons.

Finnish shops (Stockmann) and railways (VR) are eagerly establishing themselves in Russia and transport routes through St. Petersburg, Kotka, Helsinki and beyond are increasingly facilitating trade of all kinds.

Finnish exports to Russia are also welcomed, reminding one of the days when Nokia launched its success on the basis of Russian contracts. I believe that Russians in many walks of life realize that in Finland they have a reliable neighbor that can be of tremendous help in showing other nations the benefits of Russian co-operation and engagement.

Richard Lewis is one of the world’s foremost linguists and cross-cultural experts.

He has written a number of books on cross-cultural themes including ‘Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf; When Cultures Collide’; ‘The Cultural Imperative; Cross-Cultural Communication — A Visual Approach’ and most recently, ‘When Teams Collide’ (May 2012).

In 1997, he was knighted by President Ahtisaari of Finland in recognition of his services in the cross-cultural field relating to the training of Finnish Ministries for EU entry (1995) and the EU Presidency (1999). He was promoted to the rank of Knight Commander by President Halonen in 2009.

In May he will be a keynote speaker at the XIII International Likhachev Conference organized by the St. Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences. His topic will be ‘Dialogue of Cultures: Value, meaning and communication.’