The Mid-Atlantic – Russia Business Council cordially invites you to

The Welcoming Reception and a Roundtable

For the Russian Mayors’ Delegation

 June 11, 2008

Mayor’s Reception Room at Philadelphia City Hall

Broad and Market Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Following the success of the previous year’s landmark delegation, the Mid-Atlantic – Russia Business Council (MARBC) is pleased to announce that it will again be hosting a delegation of mayors and local government officials from the Russian Federation in Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic region from June 9 through June 16, 2008.  MARBC is hosting this remarkably distinguished delegation of prominent policy and decision makers from throughout Russia as part of MARBC’s efforts to develop regional cooperation between vast regions in Russia and the Mid-Atlantic States.  A key event of the Russian Mayors' Delegation’s visit to the United States will be the welcoming ceremony and roundtable at the Mayor's Reception Room of the Philadelphia City Hall on June 11, 2008.  Delegation discussions will cover some of the most pressing issues for Russian-American business relations. 

 The changing environment in Russia has not only created new opportunities for business cooperation, but has also made the business climate in the country more favorable.  Successful performances by many U.S. and other foreign companies on the Russian market demonstrate the enormous potential for future U.S.-Russia business relations.  In support of the productive development of these tremendously beneficial and prosperous opportunities, early in 2008 Pennsylvania will become the first U.S. state to open a trade office in Russia.  Further strengthening commercial ties between the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region and Russia, this mayoral delegation will arrive in June to buttress the foundation for the first Pennsylvania trade mission to Russia, which will be later in June.  Marking ten years of successes of the MARBC program promoting regional cooperation, this mayoral delegation will set the stage for enhanced cooperation and regional development between the Mid-Atlantic region and the represented regions of Russia.

 Consisting of more than 30 local government officials and businessmen, including mayors and heads of administration representing more than 10 cities and regions across Russia, the previous year’s delegation arrived in the United States only days before the G8 Summit was held in St. Petersburg.  While in Philadelphia, MARBC organized a welcoming reception for the delegation at Philadelphia City Hall, which was followed by a roundtable discussion on regional cooperation and sustainable development issues.  After welcoming remarks, the Mayor’s Secretary for External Affairs and the First Deputy Director of Commerce of Philadelphia presented members of the Russian delegation with miniature Liberty Bells.  The keynote speech by the Russian delegation was made by Sergey Paramonov, Executive Vice-President of the Russian Twin Cities International Association, who later presented medals to the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The American speakers included officials from the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and other Mid-Atlantic states.  The delegation activities included touring the Science Center, the largest and oldest urban technology park in the U.S., as well as visiting an exhibit on the interactions between Benjamin Franklin, the first American member of the Russia Academy of Sciences, and Ekaterina Dashkova, a Russian intellectual counterpart whom Franklin nominated to be the first female and the first Russian member of the American Philosophical Society.

 Complimentary invitations have been extended to members of the MARBC and supporting organizations, government officials, U.S. and state legislators, and guests of the City of Philadelphia.  Subject to space availability, additional invitations may be provided to corporate executives, trade association leaders and those in academia interested in U.S.-Russian trade and investment.  If you are interested in attending, please submit your request for a complimentary invitation to: rsvp@ma-rbc.org. 

 For further information contact Val Kogan, Mid-Atlantic-Russia Business Council, by phone: (215) 708-2628, or email: val@ma-rbc.org, or visit the MARBC website at: http://www.ma-rbc.org