Nikolay Girs

Nikolay de Girs or Giers was a Russian statesman and diplomat who served as the foreign minister from 1882 to 1895, during the reign of Alexander III. He was one of the architects of the Franco-Russian Alliance, which was later transformed into the Triple Entente, He promoted an image of Russia as a peaceful partner in dealing with complex and dangerous diplomatic situations, but most of the public credit went to Tsar Alexander.