Confrontation Promoted Russian and American Science

Under the present-day conditions, scientists have to face new challenges
US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow said on Friday, June 27 that scientists of Russia and the USA had one common mission of fighting with diseases and development of new forms of power engineering.
He spoke during presentation of the scientific magazine In the World of Science at Russia's news agency RIA Novosti. This magazine is the Russian-American project on publication of the popular magazine Scientific American in the Russian language.

The Ambassador admitted that the confrontation between the USSR and the USA during the cold war stimulated development of science in both countries. He added at that, "today under new conditions scientists of both countries have to face new challenges". American and Russian scientists belong to the same camp now, which will help them in solution of important global problems such as AIDS, atypical pneumonia, creation of new energy sources and so on. Alexander Vershbow said that coal, oil and gas would soon run low; that is why scientists should learn to generate energy from hydrogen and other natural sources.

According to the US Ambassador, the brain drain from Russia to the USA is subsiding; the number of highly qualified Russian specialists who get back home from the USA is increasing. This in its turn makes for steady development of the Russian economy. 
 
Alexander Vershbow also touched upon the prospects of visa-free tourism and travels of youth, students and post graduate students from Russia to the USA. He said that for the sake of US's security the country still cannot relax the rules for entering the USA. The US authorities still have to strictly verify documents of people wishing to enter America. He recommended to hand in documents to Consulates beforehand so that there were no problems with departure to the USA.

The US Ambassador agrees that the tragic events of 9/11 seriously influenced tourism. However, Russia was the first country to overcome the fear of aviation: the number of tourists arrived from Russia increased by 8% last year as compared with 2001. The USA has started granting visas for repeated entry in the USA, Alexander Vershbow says.

RIA Novosti