Newsletter February - March 2013
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Newsletter February - March 2013 with bi-national teams in the third period. The ► Inside this issue… Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Division and the Presidential Security Service hosted a Featured Successes second, equally successful game. While the Russia side won both games, they were gracious BPC Highlights hosts, and the events fostered a spirit of goodwill. o Education, Culture, Sports, and Media o Environment o Health o Innovation o Rule of Law In OtherFeatured New sSuccesses … Events Calendar Featured Successes The U.S. and Russian teams following their March 2013 match at Luzhniki Stadium. Diplomacy on Ice BDERWG Coordinators’ Meeting Finalizes At the suggestion of Business Development and 2013-2014 Work Plan Economic Relations Working Group (BDERWG) members, a Russian government On March 18, the BDERWG coordinators, team on March 3 hosted a hockey game against Assistant Secretary of Commerce Michael the U.S. Embassy team at Luzhniki Stadium, Camuñez and Deputy Minister of Economic home of Moscow Dynamo and—during the Development Aleksey Likhachev, finalized the recent NHL lockout—Washington Capitals star group’s two-year work plan. The plan lays the Alex Ovechkin. The teams traded goalies at the groundwork for both governments to continue start of the game in the spirit of friendly working with the private sector on strategic competition and swapped five players at the end commercial projects and to address significant of the second period in order to finish the game market access issues. - 1 - Assistant Secretary of Commerce Michael Camuñez and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Aleksey Likhachev exchange a hand shake at the March coordinators’ meeting. Both sides agreed that future efforts will seek to broaden bilateral trade and investment, utilizing American saber fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad (foreground) trains trade and business development missions and with the Russian Paralympic team in Moscow. outreach activities in specific industry sectors and regions; for example, the U.S Department Later in the day, Ms. Muhammad worked out of Commerce will lead a healthcare and medical with the Russian Paralympic fencing team, first technology trade mission to Russia in early June learning the rules of seated fencing before trying 2013. In addition, the BDERWG will work to her hand against the Russian champions. Ms. eliminate barriers to trade between the U.S. and Muhammad is the first practicing Muslim Russia through efforts such as a recently woman to represent the United States in launched project on standards cooperation. international athletic competition and serves as a member of the Secretary’s Council on Education, Culture, Sports, and Media Empowering Women’s and Girls’ Sport. Elite U.S. Fencer Shares Power of Sport Russian Indigenous Leaders Visit the United States American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, while visiting Moscow for an international tournament A group of Russian indigenous leaders— in late March, attended a conference to advocate including conservationists, educators, for women’s empowerment and social tolerance. government officials, and hunters—traveled to Ms. Muhammad shared her personal story—as a Oregon, New Mexico, New York, and practicing Muslim, she was first drawn to Washington, D.C. in late January to explore the fencing because it allowed her wear the hijab topic, “Building Sustainable Communities with and a standard team uniform simultaneously— Indigenous People: Supporting Equitable Use of and initiated discussions with Russian audiences Common Resources.” As part of the about tolerance, stereotypes, and advocacy for International Visitor Leadership Program, the women and girls. group examined sustainable land management practices and cooperation with nontraditional coalitions to preserve economic and cultural Native American traditions in the United States, while also sharing best practices and - 2 - establishing professional connections with practices, international cultural exchanges, colleagues and counterparts in the United States. budgets for cultural institutions, preservation of paper documents and photographs, and archaeological surveys, and her visit provided an excellent foundation for expanded cooperation between Russian and American museums. A Russian delegation member explores the caves at Bandelier National Monument near Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Photo credit: Institute of International Education) The visit began with an orientation and Amy Ballard explains the history of the National Mall welcome in Washington, D.C., where the group construction. learned about the legal and regulatory context that governs the federal-Native American “Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin” relationship and visited the National Museum of Performs in the Urals the American Indian. While in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the visitors visited the Jicarilla The Springfield, Missouri indie-pop band Apache Game and Fish Department to explore “Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin” made Native Americans’ agriculture and natural a two-day visit to Yekaterinburg to perform at resources; they also examined educational the Old New Rock Festival on January 13. The programs that incorporate Native American band also met with a local indie-rock group, tradition with modern standards. In upstate Sansara, with whom they plan to maintain a New York, the group learned about the connection through remixing and other future international agreements that govern the projects. Akwesasne Reservation, which spans the U.S.- Canadian border. Senior Smithsonian Institute Specialist Shares Her Experiences in Cultural and Historical Preservation Amy Ballard, senior historic preservation specialist at the Smithsonian Institute traveled to Vladivostok and Khabarovsk March 17-24, sharing her experiences in the field of cultural and historic preservation. Her presentations Members of “Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin” perform fostered lively discussion about museum at the Old New Rock Festival in Yekaterinburg. - 3 - Russian Students and Teachers Compete University Representatives Mingle in for Trip to Washington, D.C. Vladivostok The U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg Vladivostok State University for Economics and announced in January 2013 a new competition Service hosted an education fair on March 15- for teams of English as a second language (ESL) 16 to introduce nine U.S. universities to students and teachers to win a trip to prospective Russian students. A reception Washington, D.C. Forty-five teams from more brought together U.S. admissions officers, than 30 cities and towns in the consular district guests from local universities, and U.S. submitted videos detailing proposed project government exchange program alumni. plans, which highlight one element of the Bilateral Presidential Commission to be implemented during a trip to Washington, D.C. After their travel to the United States, the winning group will develop and deliver a presentation for local audiences at the American Center. The video submissions can be viewed at http://bit.ly/WwXGzE, and the winning team will be announced in May. Broadway Comes to the Russian Far East A group photo from the reception hosted by Vladivostok Public Affairs Officer Dae Kim. During March 9-14, Broadway jazz singer Ty Stephens and his band, SoulJazz, toured around Ambassador Discusses Foreign Policy at Primorskiy Kray and Sakhalin, performing four European University in St. Petersburg concerts, offering master classes, and interviewing with local press outlets. The tour On March 18, Ambassador Michael McFaul was marked by its impressive youth turnout, delivered the lecture, “Foreign Policy in the including Russian Naval cadets greeting the Second Obama Administration,” to a crowd of American musicians aboard the tall ship more than 150 professors and students at the Nadezhda and nearly 100 attendees at the European University in St. Petersburg. The master class at Sakhalin Art College. Mr. Ambassador highlighted President Obama’s Stephens also performed several classic jazz focus on “win-win” strategies, mutual respect, standards with three young local singers. and cooperation on transnational issues. The full presentation is available online at http://www.slideshare.net/usembassyru/obama- foreign-policy31713-pptx. Ty Stephens (R) improvises with young singer Sofiya Seleznyova (L) from Spassk-Dalniy. - 4 - Rimskiy-Korsakov Conservatory’s Glazunov Concert Hall and was the first American organist to teach master classes at the conservatory. Ambassador McFaul (L) addresses a full house at the European University in St. Petersburg. The European University is an independent, non-governmental educational and research institution established in 1994 to support the transformation of social sciences in post-Soviet Russia. Tribute to American Composer John Cage Opens in St. Petersburg Alan Morrison (L) shares his expertise in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg’s Museum of History on February 15 celebrated the 100th anniversary of Christopher Merrill Inspires Young Writers, famous American composer John Cage’s birth Promotes Book Wings with the opening of a new exhibit, “John Cage: Silent Presence.” The exhibition features Christopher Merrill, director of the University recordings of Cage’s compositions, original of Iowa’s International Writing Program, music scores with Cage’s own form of musical traveled to Yekaterinburg, Moscow, and St. notation, videos of dances choreographed to Petersburg in early February to conduct writing Cage’s music, and several works by artists who workshops