Taylor Ruggles, Country Assistance Officer for Russia, Office of the Coordinator of Assistance for Europe & Eurasia visited Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk on September 23-30. During the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk visit Mr. Ruggles accompanied by Assistant Coordinator Vasina met with, attended or spoke at:

(discussions with governmental officials)
• Vadim Rokotov, Deputy and key staff of the Sakhalin Region International Committee;
• Vladimir Bida, Head of the Committee of Economics, Administration of Sakhalin region;
• Aleksandr Levintal, Deputy Chairman of the Government Minister for Economic Development and Foreign Relations, Government of the Khabarovsk Territory.;
• Tatyana Ivanova, Vice mayor of Khabarovsk City Administration.

(relating to SME support)
• Jeffrey Valkar, Director of the American Business Center,Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
• the Sakhalin Junior Achievement Office;
• Junior Achievement 11th grade class held at the Gymnasium School in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
• Enhanced SME Development for the Russian Far East Program, Khabarovsk;
• BISNIS in Khabarovsk kray;
• American-Russian Business Training Center, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
• Russian-American Educational Center, Khabarovsk;
• Forest Project offices in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk.

(relating to civil society development)
• Garry Ledbetter, Institute for Sustainable Communities, Khabarovsk;
• Boris Misikov, Rector and Viktor Korsunov, Deputy Rector of Sakhalin State University ;
• members of the Alumni Association “Razvitiya” in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk;
• American Corners in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk;
• Natalya Sukhomlinova, Internet Access and Training Program in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
• Trafficking Prevention Project in the Russian Far East and Siberia “Path to Success!”;
• professors and students of Khabarovsk Academy of Economics and Law;
• ROLL program in Khabarovsk.

(relating to health activities)
• physicians from the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Children’s [outpatient] Clinic which is involved with other Sakhalin partners in conducting public and maternal health work under separate respective grants received from the US State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the US – RFE Active Partnership.

(relating to the RFE integration into the Pacific Rim)
• Anatoliy Buruy, Co-chairman of Russian-American Pacific Partnership Program;
• Natalya Proskurina, US-RFE Partnership Program.