Consul General Tim Sandusky travels to Orenburg
Consul General Tim Sandusky traveled to Orenburg on September 22-24, 2009. The purpose of the visit was to open the photo exhibit “Tchaikovsky in America,” meet with regional officials, visit an American business and renew ties with alumni of U.S. exchange programs.
On September 21, en route to Orenburg, Mr. Sandusky stopped in Ufa, Bashkortostan, to greet Muslim leaders celebrating the end of the Ramadan holiday. He met with Ayup Bibarsov, First Deputy Mufti of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Bashkortostan, and discussed issues of religious education and its impact on youth.
On September 23, the Consul General opened the exhibition “Tchaikovsky in America,” at the Orenburg Philharmonic Hall. The exhibit, prepared by the Consulate General’s Public Diplomacy section, depicts the great Russian composer’s visit to New York in 1891 and his performance at the opening of Carnegie Hall. In his opening remarks, the Consul General said, “It is very important for us to continue such cultural initiatives, because art touches us directly and unites peoples.”
On September 24, Mr. Sandusky met with Orenburg Governor Aleksey Chernyshov. The Consul General thanked the governor for his support for the John Deere agricultural equipment assembly plant, which has been operating in Orenburg since 2005. Governor Chernyshov emphasized his openness to American business and underlined the importance of expanding people to people contacts. They agreed that the success of joint U.S.-Russian projects to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS provided a good basis for further cooperation between our two countries.
As part of his program, Mr. Sandusky toured the John Deere plant in Orenburg. He said “The American agricultural equipment manufacturer’s facility in the region is a prime example of long-term U.S.-Russian business cooperation in the greater Urals region. The machinery assembled at the modern Orenburg plant supplies a vast market in Russia and Asia.”
Mr. Sandusky met with numerous alumni of U.S. exchange programs. Over the years, citizens of Orenburg have visited the United States to participate in exchanges in the fields of music, drama, museum development, medicine (anti-AIDS programs) and trans-border issues (legal protection for migrants).