[lbo-talk] Are Russian ties a Palin priority? | Seattle Times Newspaper

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Fri Sep 26 00:48:15 PDT 2008


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008174647_palinrussia12m0.html

Friday, September 12, 2008

Seattle Times

Are Russian ties a Palin priority?

By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times staff reporter

<snip>

Her critics say that Palin has shied away from launching any major

initiatives in Russian diplomacy despite Alaska's historic ties with

Russia.

<snip>

Patricia Eckert, a trade specialist in the governor's office, said that

currently no trips are planned for Russia. "I am not aware of any plans

but that doesn't mean she wouldn't."

Opportunities abound for Alaska governors to engage in Russian

diplomacy, with the state host to several organizations focusing on

Arctic issues. Anchorage is the seat of the Northern Forum, an

18-year-old organization that represents the leaders of regional

governments in Russia, as well as Finland, Iceland and Canada, Japan,

China and South Korea.

Yet under Palin, the state government -- without consultation --

reduced its annual financial support to the Northern Forum to $15,000

from $75,000, according to Priscilla Wohl, the group's executive

director. That forced the forum's Anchorage office to go without pay

for two months.

Palin -- unlike the previous administrations of Gov. Frank Murkowski

and Gov. Tony Knowles -- also stopped sending representatives to

Northern Forum's annual meetings, including one last year for regional

governors held in the heart of Russia's oil territory.

"It was an opportunity for the Alaska governor to take a delegation of

business leaders to the largest oil-producing region in Russia, and she

would have been shaking hands with major leaders in Russia," Wohl said.

<end excerpt>

Michael



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