Russia-cspp-2012-friday

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Bill Densmore's brief notes of the Friday Nov. 16, 2013 opening plenary at U.S.-Russia CSPP gathering in Washington, D.C.,


CSPP event organizers thread diplomatic needle in considering how U.S.-Russian "civil-society" collaborations can continue

Laurans Ayvazian, director of the CSPP program at the Eurasia Foundation reported that the Voice of America and Forbes online were reporting on the two-day gathering and that as a result, it is "putting U.S.-Russia cooperation on the map in the news."
As he spoke, the U.S. House of Representatives was preparing to consider the so-called [ttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/16/us-usa-russia-idUSBRE8AF0RA20121116 Magnitsky Act.] Later in the morning it was adopted overwhelmingly and sent to the Senate.
"We may be moving into an unknown period here because if the Magneski bill passes," said Ayvazian. "Russia has promised to react, strongly." He added: "You all know what the Magnitsky bill is about and what it is designed to do . . . it is a piece of US legislation that is designed to respond to what is perceived as the Russian government's failure to prosecute .... in the death of a lawyer." The Moscow Times reports that the legislation is named for Sergei Magnitsky, a whistle-blowing lawyer who died in jail in 2009 after exposing purported fraud involving government officials. The Times says the bill directs the administration of President Barack Obama to deny visas to officials involved in the detention, abuse or death of Magnitsky and to freeze any assets they might have in U.S. banks.
Read more: The Moscow Times.
Ayvazian said he took it as a good sign that a representative of the Russian government had been present at Thursday's opening day of the CSPP gathering. "We are encouraged by that," he said. "We are looking to see where U.S.-Russian cooperation can continue to fit."



  • UPDATE: The U.S. House approved the Magneski bill. The bill would put banking and visa sanctions on Russian officials associated with the Magnitsky case.


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