• Press Release
• Schedule

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Pennsylvania-Russia Business Council is pleased to be a supporter of the World Russian Forum conference, which is hosted by the Kontinent USA Media Group & Russian House. The World Russian Forum will take place on April 29-30, 2002 in Washington DC on the eve of the much anticipated May, Putin-Bush summit.

US-Russian relations have acquired a new character, with a strategic alliance, fighting common global threats. The tremendous growth and potential of the Russian market is now offering unparalleled opportunities, enabling US industry to trade and invest in Russia. The World Russian Forum will provide the setting for dialogue between business and political representatives and enhance the new era of economic, cultural, scientific and social cooperation between the two countries.

The first day of the conference will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and Conference Center in Washington, DC on Monday, April 29th. It is dedicated to business, investment, trade and economic issues. The second day of the conference is centered around strategic, political and macro-economic conditions in Russia and between the two countries. It will be held on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 30th, in the Senate Dirksen Building. The conference will be attended by representatives of the US and Russian Administrations as well as leading businesses and industries from both countries.

PROGRAM:

April 29, 2002, Ronald Reagan Building: Horizon room
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

• The Russian Economy: Road to growth and prospects for US investment: The Russian stock market has been the best performing emerging market in 2001 and the economy continues to grow at steady rates, presenting US companies with unique business and investment opportunities.
• Investing in Russia: Corporate Governance and the legal framework: A roundtable discussion on the opportunities created by: the privatization of thousands of industries, public utilities, growth in consumer demand, flat taxation and the capital friendly environment. The discussion will include corporate governance and legal framework issues in view of legislative reform.
• The Russian Software Industry: Opportunities in outsourcing: A panel discussion with US and Russian entrepreneurs and officials with hands-on experience in the IT sector. Russian intellectual capital in hi-tech and software are creating a whole new domestic and export software industry with enormous potential for business development.
• Land privatization: New opportunities for enterprise and investment: Rich urban and agricultural land in Russia is poised for privatization creating unprecedented opportunities of a historical magnitude for investments and private enterprise. Russian and US lawmakers and agribusiness leaders provide a roadmap to the future.
• Investing in Russian Oil: Strategic and investment issues: Russia is emerging as the most stable & strategic supplier of oil & gas to western markets. A discussion on investment opportunities in the sector.

• US-Russian Alliance: Cooperation in cultural, social, scientific and political affairs: A democratic Russia is emerging as a new ally for the United States. A discussion on what unites the two great countries.
• US-Russian Trade: Opportunities and challenges in the present environment: Globalization of the Russian economy is creating new opportunities and challenges for governments and businesses in both countries. A discussion on US-Russian trade issues.
• The Russian health system and the demographic crisis: A panel of health care experts discuss what can be done to help the Russian demographic crisis. Sum Russian Media and freedom of speech: A panel of media representatives and free speech advocates talk about the future of Russian media.
• Common security threats: US-Russia, allies against terror: Discussion on nuclear security, missile defense and global terrorism.

SCHEDULE:

Opening Day
Monday, April 29
Ronald Reagan Building: Horizon Room
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

Registration: 8:30 am

Comments and Welcome Address, 9:00 am
Edward Lozansky: President of the World Russian Forum, Publisher of The Russia Journal(USA Version) and Kontinent USA.

Session One 9:10 - 10:30 am
The Russian Economy: Road to Growth and Prospects for US Business.
Introductory remarks and moderation by Trevor Gunn, Director of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS), United States Department of Commerce.

Speakers Include:
Elvira Nabiulina, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.
Irina Khakamada, Deputy Speaker of the Duma of the Russian Federation.
Andrew Somers, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow.
Kent Hill, Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Irene Commeau, President, European Business Club in Moscow.

Session Two 10:30 -11:15 am
US-Russian Trade, a Road Map to the Future.
A panel of policy and legislative experts discusses US policy and trade with Russia, Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), and challenges in view of Russian entry into the WTO.

Moderator: Bruce Stokes, Trade Correspondent for National Journal

Speakers Include:
Mikhail Barkov, Russian Trade Representative to the United States.
Angela Ellard, Staff Director and Counsel for the House Ways and Means Subcommittee.
Tim Reif, Democratic Chief Trade Counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee.
Ted Posner, Majority Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee.

Session Three 11:15 -12:30 pm
Perspectives on investing in Russia, risk management strategies.

Moderated by Helen Teplitskaia, Pres. Of Russian /American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Speakers Include:
Jim Gale, Regional Manager for Europe, Russia and the NIS at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).
Dan Stein, Regional Director for Eurasia at the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
Paul Tumminia, Director for Russia/CIS countries at the Export - Import Bank of the United States).
Eric Crabtree, Senior Investment Officer, in the Central and Eastern Europe Division at the International Finance Corporation.
Peter O. Koelle, Managing Director, CIS of HypoVereinsbank.

Session Four: 1:15-2:15 pm
The Russian Investment Environment: Corporate Governance Issues; Risks and Solutions. Highly experienced investors and executives discuss direct and portfolio investments, growth potential, and untapped areas in view of recent legislative and corporate governance reforms.

Moderator: Sarah Carey, a partner at Squires, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP

Speakers Include:
Sergey Generalov, Chairman of the Investment Policy Committee of the State Duma
John Conner, Founder and Portfolio Manager of the Third Millennium Russia Fund
Winston Lindsley, President of ITIC
Rick Seney, CEO of MCT Corp. of Alexandria, Virginia
Anthony Moro, Vice President and Head of EEMEA at The Bank of New York
Laura Brank, Partner at Chadbourne & Park
Rostislav Tanaevsky-Blanco, President of Rosinter, Russia's largest restaurant chain

Session Five: 2:15-3:00 pm
Russian Land Privatization, Agribusiness and Investment Opportunities.
Proposed legislation and land reforms will open up some of the richest land on the planet to private agriculture.

Speakers Include:
Dean Dort, Vice President, International Business Support at John Deere.
Robert Peyton, President and CEO of the Agribusiness Management Company.
Additional speakers to be announced.**

Session Six: 3:15-5:00 pm
The Russian Software Industry; Will Russian intellectual capital lead to the creation of a sustainable IT industry?

Moderator: Dan Satinsky: Chairman of the Board of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce of Boston, Inc.

Themes and speakers:
Russian intellectual capital and its potential on global IT markets
Stephan Palchikov, Member of the Board at Parascript. Can Russian Outsourcing companies compete in the US market?
Brian Phelps, CEO of Vested Technologies
Neil Godick, President and CEO of PHLburg Technologies. Can Russian technology products compete in the US market?
Andrew Sviridenko, President and CEO of SPIRIT Corp.
Sergei Andreev, General Director, ABBYY. How can government and non-government organizations assist with the expansion of US-Russian IT business?
Vadim Kapustin, President of the Russian Digital Alliance
Leonid Malkov, President of Cogitum and Member of the Board of the Russian Digital Alliance
Alexei Smolyansky. President, Integrum

6.30 pm Andrei Sakharov sculpture dedication at the Russia House, 1800 Connecticut Avenue, NW

7:00 PM reception at the Russian Trade Mission at 2001 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Day 2, Tuesday, April 30
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50

Session One 9:00 - 10:30 am
Education, Science, Cultural, and Religious aspects of US - Russian Alliance

Speakers Include:
Tim Hallman, Brookhaven National Lab
Sergei Kravchenko, MGIMO (Moscow State University for International Relations)
Edward Lozansky, American University in Moscow
Mikhail Malkovsky, Moscow State University
Valery Milashenko, Data Systems and Solutions
Norman Neureiter, Science Advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell, US State Department
Yuri Panebratsev, Dubna Nuclear Research Institute
Stan Riveles, Office of the Science & Technology, US State Department
Victor Savinych, Association of Russian Universities, Russian Cosmonaut
Glenn Schweitzer, National Research Council
Alexei Sissakian, Dubna Nuclear Research Institute
Timothy Thyreem, Waynesburg College

10:30 - 11:00 am Coffee Break

Session Two 11:00-12:30 pm
Russian Health and Demographic Crisis: US support and aid for an improved medical care system for the 21st century

Moderator: Stan Tillinghast of the American Medical Association.

Speakers Include:
Soji Adeyi, World Bank
Edward Burger, American Medical Alliance
Clifford Grammich, Rand Corporation

12:30-2:00 - Lunch

Keynote address by Congressman Curt Weldon:
US-Russia partnership: A new time, a new beginning

Session Three 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Russia - NATO. Joint Missile Defense. Coalition in the War on Terror and nuclear non-proliferation

Speakers Include:
Senator Richard Lugar (IN)
Leon Aron, American Enterprise Institute
John Bolton, Undersecretary for Arms Control, US State Department
Arnaud De Borchgrave, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Irina Khakamada, Vice-Speaker, Duma
Bill Lind, Free Congress Foundation
Arkady Murashev, Union of Right Forces, Institute for Freedom and Democracy
Ted Oelstrom, Lt. General USAF (Rtd), Harvard Security Project
Tatyana Parkhalina, Institute of Scientific Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Eduard Vorobyev, Colonel - General, Committee on Defense, Duma
Paul Weyrich, Free Congress Foundation

Session Four 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Russian Media: freedom of expression and commercial viability of the media

Moderator: Eileen O'Connor, Former CNN Bureau Chief in Moscow

Speakers Include:
Sergei Abelcev, Committee on Information Policy, State Duma
Leon Aron, American Enterprise Institute
Arnaud De Borchgrave, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Jack Gosnell, Former US Counsel General in St. Petersburg
Irena Lesnevskaya, President, REN TV
Arkady Murashev, Union of Right Forces, Inst. for Freedom and Democracy
Alexei Pankin, Open Society Foundation
Serge Schmermann, The New York Times
Martin Sieff, Senior Foreign Correspondent, United Press International
Boris Unanov, Chief Foreign Editor, Obschaya Gazeta
Nikolay Zlobin, Center for Defense Information, Washington Profile

Other Speakers
Dan Burton, Congressman (IN)
Eliot Engel, Congressman (NY)
Benjamin Gilman, Congressman (NY)
Tom DeLay (TX), to be confirmed
Dana Rohrabacher, Congressman (CA)