AJC Visit to Russia 'Fruitful and Encouraging'

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Jul 09, 2010, 03:46 ET

MOSCOW, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC leadership delegation just concluded a two-day visit to Russia. Moscow marks the last stop for the 11-member group, which began its journey in Azerbaijan and also visited Ukraine.

In Moscow, the delegation met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Anna Azari, American Deputy Chief of Mission Eric Rubin, former head of the Russian presidential administration Alexander Voloshin, and senior officials at ROSATOM (the State Atomic Energy Corporation). Thursday's meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov was the latest in more than a dozen meetings with the foreign minister in the past several years.

In addition, AJC met with leaders of Russia's vibrant Jewish community, including the Russian Jewish Congress, Moscow Hillel, the Eurasian Jewish Congress, and VAAD.

Interreligious dialogue was also high on the agenda in a discussion with the Deputy Head of International Relations for the Russian Orthodox Church, which counts over 135 million members worldwide and functions as an integral part of Russia's social and cultural fabric.

Many Russian media outlets closely followed the AJC trip throughout their two-day stint in Moscow. Russia's premier English-language station, Russia Today or RT, which is broadcast worldwide, featured two interviews with the delegation and the Russian News and Information Agency, RIA Novosti, prominently displayed a third interview on its website.

"Our meetings in Russia were extremely informative, fruitful, and in many respects, encouraging," said Harris. "AJC's relationship with this part of the world dates back to 1906, when the organization was founded by American Jews concerned about pogroms sweeping the region. In light of this tragic history, not to mention the events of the Second World War and the plight of Soviet Jewry, it's simply stunning to come as an American Jewish group to Moscow and see what progress has been made here in rebuilding Jewish life."

AJC's meetings in the Foreign Ministry and at ROSATOM focused on Iran's nuclear program and what can be done to prevent the regime from attaining nuclear weapons. "Our talks with high-ranking Russian officials both confirmed and highlighted this threat, as time is not on our side," explained Harris. "An Iran with nuclear-weapons capability not only poses a threat to the state of Israel, but also to regional and global security. Russia, Israel, the United States, and indeed the entire international community, have a vested interest in bringing this program to a halt.

On a more uplifting note, talks with American and Israeli diplomats indicated that the bilateral relationships between these two countries and Russia are at their highest point in years. As Harris explained, "The much-discussed "reset" in relations between the U.S. and Russia is a reality and its effects are being felt here on the ground. AJC hopes that this bond will continue to strengthen and that Russia will soon be graduated from the outdated Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which today is little more than a Cold War relic."

Similarly, relations with Israel, which is home to more than a million Russian speakers are strong and getting stronger. Successful economic, cultural and political partnerships between the Russian Federation and the State of Israel have been bolstered by a visa-free agreement, which allows Russian and Israeli citizens to travel easily between the two countries, encouraging both trade and tourism.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee