"We also had a very important summit today between Presidents Medvedev and Obama. Mike McFaul from the National Security Council is here. And Mike, as you know, is a very longtime supporter of a vibrant civil society in Russia. And, as President Obama said when he met with many of you in Moscow last summer, we recognize the critical nature of civil society to a vibrant democracy ...As part of the Bilateral Presidential Commission that the two presidents established that Foreign Minister Lavrov and I are coordinating, we launched a Working Group on Civil Society. (...Spaso House Oct.)
following the U.S.-Russian Innovation Dialogue last February, Russian and American NGOs signed an MOU to promote the Text4Baby model, which uses mobile service technology to provide health information to pregnant women and new mothers.
We have a dedicated group inside the State Department focused on how to use technology in the 21st century. We call it 21st Century Statecraft. I saw Jared Cohen when I came in. I don’t know if Alec Ross is here or not. But who else is – anybody else here from your team, Jared? We have a great team of really dedicated young people – primarily young people – who care deeply about connecting people up. And I’m very proud of the work they’re doing. They have been everywhere from Mexico to the Democratic Republic of Congo to Syria to Russia, and every place in between. And we want to be a facilitator to help empower you in this area.
In one of my early discussions with Minister Lavrov, he said, well, you know, we don’t like it when you have so many NGOs coming to Russia. And I said, well, send Russian NGOs to the United States. (Laughter.) We’ll be happy to have them. And I really mean that. I think the more exchange and the more – (applause) – cross-fertilization the better.
"President Obama was right to identify the U.S.-Russia relationship as an early
priority of his administration’s foreign policy. The potential benefits of reduced
tensions and enhanced cooperation between Moscow and Washington are im-
mense…"
view the rest of the comments →
kestrel9 ago
Blast to the Ghost of Hillary's 2010 Russian Christmas Past:
https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2010/06/143628.htm
2010
"We also had a very important summit today between Presidents Medvedev and Obama. Mike McFaul from the National Security Council is here. And Mike, as you know, is a very longtime supporter of a vibrant civil society in Russia. And, as President Obama said when he met with many of you in Moscow last summer, we recognize the critical nature of civil society to a vibrant democracy ...As part of the Bilateral Presidential Commission that the two presidents established that Foreign Minister Lavrov and I are coordinating, we launched a Working Group on Civil Society. (...Spaso House Oct.)
http://archive.is/vAY1N http://archive.is/vAY1N#selection-253.0-284.1 INDISPENSABLE INSTITUTIONS The Obama-Medvedev Commission and Five Decades of U.S.-Russia Dialogue
"President Obama was right to identify the U.S.-Russia relationship as an early priority of his administration’s foreign policy. The potential benefits of reduced tensions and enhanced cooperation between Moscow and Washington are im- mense…"