"Nikolay de Girs or Giers (Russian: Никола́й Ка́рлович Гирс Nikolay Karlovich Girs) (21 May [O.S. 9 May] 1820 – 26 January [O.S. 14 January] 1895) was the Russian Foreign Minister, 1882-1895, 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." - (en.wikipedia.org 30.01.2020)