true for the area is occupied by a major preserve. for the young generation tribes in their ancestors. where the mysterious on the good luck. from the republic of russia. and again this is own see coming to life the most potent as well as. a major u.s. behind conventionally loses a billion dollar investment from leave it sort of well funded goldman sachs is one of the finest plaintiff with the recent economic crisis putting the financial woes of them american even people in the same bucket. meanwhile the needy and nato helicopters have paid their first dog it's time to tell the doc his forces near the all see tail dragger russia's foreign minister slams the coalition's actions saying

it's a signal ground operation in the preparations of the country under great. a huge fire which has been raging for more than a day and strode and a mission in central russia has been for a time out the rest are like asian explosions on the number of injured in the incident is nearing ninety. hundreds of people down through the drifts in the moral in washington d.c. claiming that holding that first amendment rights civil action last week led to five arrests. as the headlines up next to the sharp spotlight and us relations or warm between russia and america harvest all going on his guests discuss what this could mean in our day to day by and not just in the wall of politics. that's twenty years ago largest country. to certificates.

but believe me. to teach the janitor. where did it take. you to. hello again and welcome to spotlight the answer we shall i keep going up and today will speak about one of the most important issues in international relations u.s. russia from russia is a bit chilly and said that w t o now has a vital support from the united states to strengthen ties even more washington has agreed on the need these are issues starting this autumn russians will be able to get three year visa but what else do people and businesses want from moscow and

russia. let me out the director of the institute for democracy and cooperation underneath me that i am and the president and c.e.o. of the u.s. russia business council at a round. despite some political spats between moscow and washington that you are getting closer to the u.s. has agreed to help lay the welcome mat for russia at the w t o. russian travelers and business plan to rebuild anticipating the introduction of the extended three year american visas. getting one of the no easy times. hello ed hello underneath thank you very much for being with us on the show and first of all i wanted to to hear your comments on something that we hear through the grapevine laced about michael mcfaul and probably moving to moscow as the new

american investor should we expect something from from this and how problems it will be you say. well it's a rumor i think she really believed. but maybe we can speculate on the basis of the rumor. michael mcfaul is. someone who is known to be close to president obama he is a scholar on russia he's an expert field he's worked very closely with members of the administration spent some time also working with people on capitol hill so i think he simming that this is true and assuming that he is confirmed. then i think he would be a very good representative and in no way reflects negatively current bassam as a marley who has the highest reputation here in russia i know and also in the united states and we would hope i would hope that this is true that he would remain in some form or another involved with. with us russia relations in an official

capacity or an unofficial one either way and. carl is one of the main architects of the new bama procedure was russia when i met him. with the day of my birthday we happen to be on the plane together but not for what you do you celebrate you but i think. he wanted to sleep i said no no you have to share with me a glass of champagne at least it's good because. it really unfortunate for an american to meet and they really need and i want to play to. him was moving away team that won the special letter from president obama to president made ready. to he at that time told me that he was the alter over this praise research i hear he wrote for but i did not list. it was very active

and he was very supportive to the poor list of. actually he was i think the rector of carnegie. endowment here in moscow and really is it true you know the speculation that that they decided to to to send a new center after after generally. became a hero of that who wiki leaks well. i do think that these things are nothing like something or something i don't think so by the way some other remorse in washington and new york that might be more cruel as living the administration and returning back to stanford. that was also the rumor but now it is more realistic might be here we're going to be. very very in russia

because otherwise might be hit put. you know i don't know. but probation you country keep your ten year ship in university for longer than for some years and i'd be there was an option i'd have to go back to stanford or to get a promotion and take his promotion and i would agree with you that that generally is a very good investor and doing really good job in one of these later statements is a matter of fact made russians very happy he said that probably we are very close to green are now three years these are for americans and for russians going to the united states do you think that that if we decide really to be able to grant three year visas for people this is a real step to these a free regime well imagine that these are three with the united states well to go back to work or said earlier now it was officially announced after the overall

summit on that with may get a very. that there will be some agreement on visas they're working on they could give a time for when it would actually be adopted but yes a visa free visa three year visas multiple entry for business men interests and twelve months for officials which is a huge step forward. you know what's that's that's progress enough that makes it considerably easier for people to do business or for people to come visit russia or or in the other direction. i think it's probably too soon to talk about a visa free regime this is progress very substantial progress and i think. it . symbolizes the progress that we've made and the the new relationship the reset if you will and really on the other hand we're speaking about.

easing easing visa regime we're going last year was a record on rejection. in visas to russians i have information that early this spring seventy percent of russian students applications were rejected to the states how does this add up to to keep talking the president talking about i've got free travel and the embassies that are rejecting i really can turn in three applications. it's very strange because you know recently i read. a very interesting article concerning. the level of unemployment in the us and practically no economy is a bless them a little buzz prior to crisis but now fewer people are producing that amount as they produced earlier and that's why it's a problem what to do with the people understand some proposals was the proposal

that might be americans must is all this restrict. it's a limitation in order to bring the new tourists to create new industries and to make people busier our little boys and students experience the same kind of course we'll get to getting visas to grow sure well maybe i could answer that you have to us to begin the foreign minister. and then we can as the students was there to see that in prior years very large numbers of russians have gone to the us students on temporary work visas and they work in seasonal resorts iras where there is a shortage or have been a shortage of of labor service personnel during certain peak seasons and the summer is one of them. so if this seventy percent reduction maybe very high base

for that particular category of visa i don't know i'm not familiar with it. there are very has never been the same kind of flow in the other direction and and in part because russia doesn't offer a temporary work regime for american students. and in part because it's very expensive to come to russia on a student budget. very little money through the combination of both both and the visa itself of course is this is a must who continues to be a very expensive city for us the most the most expensive so i do think you did you know you had one. no i don't think it's liberal has it's number three according to ratings by a number three it used to be number one in the list of what you have to return as somebody to london that's not going to kill kill yeah you know someone who the funny thing is that the russians pronate when we first heard that moscow was the most expensive city wasn't oh that's that's

a great achievement we were the first in space and we'll expect with the first the booze the expensive things hundred. is there a well actually ted said that that this three year visa is very good itself i mean n.p.t. said something like enough is enough but i so want to know your point of view do you think we can we can expect a visa free regime with the states in our lifetime because because i think i think feel that that that we are moving to visa free will shogun zone. can we so to say with this i think another one shot around not sorry i'm so sure in evolution is we're closer but you're here because you know if we can solve the problem with europeans and i've been it will be a pave the way for a visit for elian where the united states might get some time or in the long run

one why are you so pursue misting because because of the tradition in our relations because of the present state of relations. oh well you know i don't know we have to wait for the outcome of the elections in both countries night. night be there is a kind of. suspicious approach on behalf of the american public and orders the whole world to russia michael yes or answer it's based on the number of people who receive visas who comes the united states and overstayed a visa it's it's not directed at russia there are other countries that also. have a higher rejection rate and it's because of the history of those many people of us through out of status it's very easy to come to the u.s. so easy to find work very and it's a very open culture through to immigrants so that when someone shows up it's not it's it's relatively easy to become integrated and but not all we've got some

twelve million illegal resident. things are changing right i want to talk french and there's a group of this is the program or for immigration there is a problem of unemployment. the there's the what does discussions what to do with the mexican border say i'm twenty one ukrainian director of the institute for democracy and cooperation and. the president and c.e.o. all these u.s. russian business spotlight will be back shortly after a short break stay with them the. wild man their people suffer. how some take advantage of power that was given to them. secrets of big dirty

money. on our cheap. if you. welcome back to the spotlight and are going to have in just a reminder my guests in the studio today are and really committed i know that rex

are out of the institute for democracy and cooperation and the role now the president and c.e.o. of the u.s. russia business council gentlemen that we've started talking about these are the this is a pretty new issue in russian american relations talking about visa facilitation probably even moving to a visa free regime the president's request of countries that talked about it in india will in france recently no i will not change the subject and talk about something very symbolic something very historic and russia america through ations and the japs and vanna can remind all journalists who interview people like killers that the general ask what about the jackson valley to greenland and they and they all want to know will it ever be lifted you know the answer the answer is never i think so well so i ask the question maybe i'll hear something else add. a year i was disappointed because it will be the after. of course so when you and i went

there to do one is never. optimistic that we may see that. left within. well today but but since and maybe that's by the end of this year the administration has made it very clear this administration which is the third administration consecutively that is really has pledged to remove jackson vanocur to make efforts necessary to get congress to do that i think that this year it will do so it has publicly said that it supports it and when vice president biden was here in moscow in march he said that he personally would be leaving the administration's efforts in congress to get it lifted. and it's both because that wall is no longer relevant it's an anachronism and i think out of respect for our own legal traditions we should remove laws from the books that are no longer valid but also because it has

a very will have or would have a very material impact on american business interests. when russia gets into the w.t. you know if we haven't lifted it we could be funny i mean joining the media i think the this is true it wouldn't stop russia from having the most favored nation status of all the other members of the w t o but it would mean that we the united states would not be able to extend that to russia and consequently russia would have no obligation to extend m.-f. and status to us if it chose not to given you both are not unique in the studio and really we are talking about the jets and really can remain very think you were you one of the guys who said that that let's leave it to the americans because because it's in their interest first of all there are not in our view it's not as discriminating today it's the american business discriminated how do you do you think this is the reason why they finally want to have that i think as the representative of american business community if. you know the american russian

business community it was up there with the correct the of course or from joining the euro or. companies would like to work in russia markets on the same level as european or asian carp and i found them just once of course it's what i can say that this is only their interest or our interest it's risky but it wasn't the interest of both countries i think the to repeal this. and know that you know they were under six but i think because all presidents are suspending every year the they here has certified compliance yes but this they say is rather symbolic you know it's can have a symbolic effect and it will show that our countries are moving in the right

direction and. a word that came from from good deal in there that. you know the rumor we heard maybe not even rumor it's a fact that the g eight once the talks on the russian entry to the dare we do you know completed by the end of this year how good are the chances that is going to happen what do you think. well i'm an optimist by profession. so i'm going to say that i think there's a very good chance that it will be done. by the end of the year the russians are saying that they think that they can complete their their package of a negotiation is by july. they met on. tuesday and have this is now supposed to be another meeting of the working group on july twenty third so be looking forward to that should be the date when russia would be able to say well we've comply i'm not such an optimist that i think that will be the case i think it's going to be it's going to go into the fall but it's

a question of russia doing some things that it has to do it has to harmonize its customs schedules with the other members of the customs union which it still hasn't done and with the the international customs code and there are many many lines of customs code that have yet to be fully harmonized it also has to clarify for the members of the working group what its own internal procedures are for addressing disagreements or a misunderstanding or go or simply ambiguity in the customs education and customs cases that's the the russian side as a result of having announced the customs union when negotiations had already gotten very far ahead so can it be done yes another issue though and it should be clear there are some outstanding. disagreements or outstanding areas involving

intellectual property rights sanitary fetus sanitary standards in crippin. trade related investment measures and other things and that it's clear everybody wants russia into the b.t.o. and both president obama said it when he was sitting next to president to get even deauville we want them in but it doesn't mean that we are not pushing hard to. make sure that russia complies fully with the standards of the w t o and it intends to force them we just heard mention a number of obstacles to to to to to finalizing the talks of russia's social to w t o but many russia are sure that the main obstacle is judea is the true and really. turkey is an obstacle. i think verster knobs are a bit. it's in front of the behavior of georgian government because they are putting i'm not economic you know problems but i want to call problems as

a precondition for. creating you know. russia's joining w a k o. but try to include a lot of ones that might be we can join you one with the consent of georgia because the charter of the look you gives an opportunity if only one country is again you can ignore. what you think. this is my next question is the obstacle would be a move like this people with washington to to convince georgia to stop the rubbish or. i my understanding of the u.s. position is that. a session is by. by consensus. and that is you know unless you got to the well but then i still think that it's

possible that we will see what you are but you know that it is possible if they want countries again you can join of it if you at least direct that. i know that. i think there are obvious agreement just as there were the interpretation. of the american dream and which governs that for seizure. you know it's it's up to russia and georgia to come to us on understanding. the swiss have appointed someone as a as a mediator and we hope that with that some sort of a arrangements can be made. president obama said oh bill that he personally or it was said by his advisor that president obama was very much involved in these discussions so that we have an interest we see. we want russia and i'm very into you know and and we may have some influence with with with the georgian government but it would be

a mistake i think to assume that you know we just click our fingers and they do what we ask i don't think that's true the russian foreign minister said that russia is this today because because we are following the w t o rules but we're not getting the advantages because we're not yet members maybe a hundred maybe we should stop following the rules until i actually become members oh yes i think that was. is that was in the bathroom. certainly of my plea that was the reason to worry here if you're a member of. let's join. our countries to give with customs union. because i remember that during this war the clark meeting would put and he said listen we are negotiating for seventeen years we have. sick and tired of war who these negotiations that's why my dear we need to advance

our cooperation with our neighbors and solve our own problems and leave that alone order to least not be there is a necessity for other partners who are ripe to be more positive in a sense of russia's accession and to a level of fear we know where when i said are we waiting for for for the relation elections outcome you said now does that mean that you gentlemen think that that that the upcoming elections both in russia and india had states are not going to really influence influence the the relations between the countries very sure yes or no. change depending on the outcome yes they were going to be hard on trying to look very serious and certainly things. it's true the trend is strong i think the last year or so the midterm elections i just made

a comment and i said that independently of course i'm going to win in the u.s. there is no alternative to this receptacle with. i mean i think we've achieved considerable progress on the research and we've signed the new start agreement that's that's of if it were only for that i'd say that this is been a great success other things like a the northern corridor for resupplying nato efforts in afghanistan very significant very important will that change i don't think so but some other parts of the relationship probably could thank you thank you very much just to remind you that my guest on the show today we're going to meet people and young director of the institute for democracy in cooperation and edward road the president and c.e.o. of the u.s. russia business that's it for now top line will be back with more personal comments on what's going on in and outside of russia and for them to stay on our team and take care. thank you.