2,600 Russian Politicians To Visit Us As Part Of Open World Program

2,600 Russian public policy makers and political leaders will visit the USA in 2002 as part of the "Open World" Russian Leadership program sponsored by the US Congress, the American embassy to Russia said Wednesday. The program is to promote mutual understanding between the peoples of the USA and Russia by giving an opportunity to young Russian politicians to study America's free market expertise and look into operation of its democratic institutions, said the embassy. Both federal and regional-level politicians will be invited to participate in the Open World program. The sponsors promise they will be received by all the 50 states of America and the District of Columbia. The visitors will first attend orientation sessions in Moscow and Washington to then spend a week in one of the US states. The program will focus on such topics as educational reform, federalism development, environment protection, economic reforms, female leadership and youth policies, according to the US embassy.