Press Releases
Ambassador Burns Visits Tomsk.
October 26, 2007
On October 25-26, Ambassador William J. Burns visited Tomsk, where he met with a wide range of civic, education, and political leaders.
The Ambassador met with Governor of Tomsk Oblast, Viktor Melkiorovich Kress, and they discussed Tomsk's development as a regional center for high-tech industries and higher education, opportunities for attracting additional American investment, and a number of other issues concerning the development of greater ties between the United States and Eastern Siberia.
The Ambassador addressed students and faculty at Tomsk State University (TSU), often called the first university in Russia east of the Urals. Noting that they will play a critical role in Russia's future and as a bridge between our countries, the Ambassador congratulated the students on their educational accomplishments and highlighted TSU's recent conference celebrating the 200th Anniversary of U.S.-Russia Relations. Subsequently, the Ambassador attended a roundtable on legal reform held by the Russian-American Rule of Law Consortium at TSU's Law Institute.
During a meeting with Washington Group International, Rosatomstroi, and Siberian Chemical Combine officials, the Ambassador discussed the ongoing refurbishment of the Seversk TET power plant under the aegis of the Seversk Plutonium Production Elimination Project. This project is sponsored by the United States National Nuclear Security Administration.
Ambassador Burns also visited the "Hobby Center," a local non-governmental organization that assists disabled children under five years old. This group of health and early education professionals, with support from the United States Government, developed a unique program for the care and support of disabled children which serves as a model for the delivery of such services throughout the Russian Federation.