The Duma-Congress Study Group, the formal coordinating body between the Russian Parliament and the US Congress, in cooperation with the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) organized the GPP convention visit of Unity Party parliamentary head Boris Gryzlov. Unity is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party.
Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrei I. Nikolayev addressed an AFPC dinner of U.S. and Russian defense policy-makers on May 16, offering a look at the changed military thinking behind newly-inaugurated President Vladimir Putin.
To intensify and regularize staff exchange work, AFPC organized an April delegation to Moscow of House staffers. The Honorable Jeff Trandahl, Clerk of the House of Representatives, led the delegation on a reciprocal staff visit.
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.
From October 9-17, 1999, AFPC conducted its sixth annual fact-finding mission to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).