US and Russia Seek To Boost Economic Ties

With Sillicon Valley as the first stop on Russia President Medvedev’s visit to the US, the drive for economic innovation.
US and Russia Seek To Boost Economic Ties
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's will make his first stop in the US in Sillicon Valley, in the drive for economic innovation which can potentially boost U.S.-Russia trade. (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
Jasper Fakkert
6/23/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Rusia102350497.jpg" alt="Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's will make his first stop in the US in Sillicon Valley, in the drive for economic innovation which can potentially boost U.S.-Russia trade.   (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)" title="Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's will make his first stop in the US in Sillicon Valley, in the drive for economic innovation which can potentially boost U.S.-Russia trade.   (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1818212"/></a>
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's will make his first stop in the US in Sillicon Valley, in the drive for economic innovation which can potentially boost U.S.-Russia trade.   (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
With Sillicon Valley as the first stop on Russia President Medvedev’s visit to the United States, the drive for economic innovation, which can potentially boost U.S.-Russia trade, has become the latest phase in relations between the two countries, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama was set to meet Medvedev for the seventh time since he took office. On the agenda are issues relating to nonproliferation, Iran, Afghanistan, and economic ties between the two countries.

U.S. officials described economic ties as an “underdeveloped part of the relationship,” said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, at a press conference.

“I think there’s a new assessment within the Russian government that to make it in the 21st century, you need real innovation. You have to invest in brains—not just oil and gas,” said Mike McFaul, Obama’s top Russia adviser.

While U.S. officials have hailed improved relations with Russia as one of the administration’s significant achievements, critics have doubted the significance of Russia’s compromises on key U.S. security issues. Recent sanctions against Iran only came through after being watered down to suit Russia and China.

Disagreements between Russia and the United States over Russia’s occupation of disputed territories inside Georgia, following the brief war between Georgia and Russia in 2008, remain a point of disagreement.

“[We] do have a fundamental disagreement with the Russian government about the definition of the borders of the Georgian state,” said McFaul. “We consider their occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be illegitimate.”

“We also fully support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all of Russia’s neighbors and will continue to do so,” he said.
Jasper Fakkert is the Editor-in-chief of the U.S. editions of The Epoch Times. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication Science and a Master's degree in Journalism. Twitter: @JasperFakkert
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