When Russian President Boris Yeltsin visited Washington, DC, in late September, his Foreign Minister, Andrei V. Kozyrev, addressed a conference organized by World Learning (WL) for its subgrantees--organizations carrying out projects in Russia funded by USAID and administered by WL.

Kozyrev stated that Russian reforms had entered a "new phase" which called for emphasis on three areas by U.S-Russian nongovernmental partnerships:

1. Aid to the socially vulnerable groups of society, including medical programs for those most needy.

2. Assistance in finding solutions to social and cultural problems of the ethnic minorities. "This includes not only Russia," said Kozyrev, "but all other countries of the former Soviet Union as well."

3. Assistance in dissemination of knowledge regarding democracy and human rights. "It would be essential to augment funds allocated to these needs," the Foreign Minister underlined.

"In many distant corners of Russia--from Bryansk to Taimyr--people have already appreciated the genuine results of the noble, and sometimes even selfless activities pursued by U.S. charity organizations. The government of Russia welcomes your efforts. You can continue to count on our support."

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The URL for this document is: http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~ccsi/csew/94-11/kozyrev.html
Last updated: December 1995

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