Support The Moscow Times!

U.S. Delegation, Minister Miss Meeting Over Traffic

Kutcher answering questions. Alexander Zemlianichenko

The "Innovation Delegation," a group of U.S. officials and technology executives, was unable to make a planned meeting with Communications and Press Minister Igor Shchyogolev on Thursday because of scheduling problems and traffic in Moscow.

The group did, however, meet on Thursday with Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina, said David Siefkin, press attache at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. They also visited the White House and met members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Delegation co-leader Jared Cohen, an adviser to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wrote on his Twitter page that the group had a "great meeting" with Nabiullina, where they "discussed areas for collaboration on innovation."

Members of the delegation, which is aiming to raise awareness about social media, has been actively posting to the microblogging site on their experiences during the trip. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey is among the technology executives in the delegation.

They were largely quiet, however, about the botched meeting with Shchyogolev, which was also supposed to include six Russian tech companies.

The American delegation changed its schedule because of traffic delays, Siefkin told The Moscow Times.

Howard Solomon, the Russia adviser to the National Security Council, did speak with Shchyogolev and arranged for the delegation to "meet next month by video conference with the Russian IT companies," Siefkin said.

Asked whether the six companies were invited to other sessions, he said the U.S. delegation was "certainly not excluding any companies."

A source at one of the companies told The Moscow Times that the ministry, which invited the companies, had not explained the reason for the cancellation.

Yelena Lashkina, a spokeswoman for the ministry, confirmed that the full meeting would take place next month.

The delegation was slated to fly on Thursday evening to Novosibirsk for meetings with the regional governor, entrepreneurs and nongovernmental organizations, the U.S. Embassy said.

The delegates will return to Moscow on Sunday morning for more meetings with Russian IT companies and a planned venture-capital forum Monday.

One highlight of Thursday's tour was an appearance by Ashton Kutcher, an American actor and Twitter enthusiast, at a press conference. Kutcher, who is campaigning against human trafficking in his role in the delegation, told reporters that trafficking can be fought using online tracking tools and social media.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more