The American Foreign Policy Council has recognized the importance of supporting institutions, not personalities, as Russia tries to find its way.  AFPC has long promoted ties between the legislative branches of Russia and the U.S. to help develop separation of powers in Russia, and to inform the U.S. Congress better about Russian developments.

The Library of Congress’ Russian Leadership Program (RLP) got off with a bang in the summer of 1999 when over 2,000 Russian officials visited the U.S. AFPC coordinated the congressional part of the program, co-chaired by Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS-1) and Rep. Bud Cramer (D-AL-5).  Delegations were hosted by 32 members of Congress.

Belarusian National Front co-founder and shadow candidate for president Zianon Pazniak was the guest at an AFPC luncheon for Congressional staff on February 22, 1999.

It was a rare sight: senior officials from the Soviet security services discussing the future of Russia with ey U.S. Congressional staff members and policy makers.

AFPC hosted the House International Relations Committee’s top Russia specialists to discuss their recent fact-finding trip in Russia.

As part of our ongoing involvement with the formal exchange between the U.S. Congress and the Russian Duma, AFPC hosted a dinner for the latest delegation of Duma members on May 19.

While Russia faces uncertainty with its people engaged in astruggle for democracy, the American Foreign Policy Council has launched the Russian Parliament Exchange Program.  The program was established in May of last year at the request of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Russian parliament.

Last December, Mr. Andrei Kolosovsky, Charge d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy, was the guest of honor at an AFPC-sponsored dinner in Washington, D.C

In late September, 1992, AFPC sponsored a trip for senior policy analysts to Russia.  The delegation sought to achieve a deeper understanding of the difficult and complicated circumstances there.  The purpose of the trip was to study the economic, political and social situation in the country through a number of channels including meetings with Parliamentary leaders, government officials, journalists, business executives and others, and through general exposure to life in Moscow and its environs.

In the midst of last August’s coup, American policy makers and analysts were perplexed at the events taking place in the Soviet Union.  And while the coup failed, it demonstrated that many specialists inside and outside of government were lacking in critical information and of an informed perspective of events there. In order to ensure that American officials remain informed of events in the former Soviet Union, the American Foreign Policy Council arranged for a senior U.S. delegation to meet with top officials in the Soviet and Russian governments from November 24 to December 1, 1991.