US Ambassador: Kaliningrad Must Integrate into Europe Instead of Being Isolated Island

'Kaliningrad must integrate into Europe instead of being an isolated island', said Alexander Vershbow, the US Ambassador to Russia, during his meeting with Governor of the Kaliningrad Region on Tuesday during the meeting to Kaliningrad of an American delegation headed by Ambassador's.

According to a Rosbalt's reporter, the parties discussed various issues, including cooperation between the Kaliningrad Region and American States. The governor noted the so far low share of the US in the region's foreign trade, amounting, in 2002, to just about USD 1.8 billion. The privileges enjoyed by entrepreneurs in the special economic zone, he said, assure good profits for anyone trading modern technologies here and called on American investors to become more active in the region.

Alexander Vershbow was interested in the problem of the proliferation of illegal drugs and how it was countered in the Kaliningrad Region. He quoted exaggerated data from western mass media. Vladimir Yegorov asked the ambassador to assist in establishing connections with American healthcare organisations so the region could use their extensive experience struggling against socially hazardous diseases.