On Hillary Clinton's Agenda for Tomorrow: The Russians are coming!

We have a rare heads-up tonight, from a few State Department press releases, regarding events planned for tomorrow. The Russian delegation will be received in D.C., and, of course, the Secretary of State will be in the thick of it, providing me with the opportunity to share a few pictures from the Secretary's visit in March to Russia. They are beautiful pictures and worth a second look!

Bear in mind Sergei Lavrov is the guy who could not stand Condi Rice. Hillary Clinton was determined, last year, to reset the relationship. Lavrov greeted that suggestion with some grudging humor at the time but with a dose of skepticism as well. Well these pictures were taken roughly a year later. What do you think? I think her smart power worked very well in this case!

First, the information from the press briefing today.

Philip J. Crowley

Assistant Secretary
Daily Press Briefing

Washington, DC

June 23, 2010

...we look forward, obviously, to the arrival and meetings tomorrow of Russian President Medvedev and the Russian delegation. The two presidents will talk about a wide range of issues from economic and trade relations to international security issues. President Medvedev will come to Washington from Silicon Valley where we expect he will have some things to say about economic modernization and innovation. The presidents have the opportunity to review the work of the Bilateral Presidential Commission and the various working groups that have been formed. And while the President is having lunch tomorrow with President Medvedev, the Secretary will host the rest of the Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Lavrov. They’ll have a lunch at Blair House.

Here is a separate press release about another of the events tomorrow.

Secretary Clinton to Visit U.S. -Russia "Civil Society to Civil Society" Summit on June 24

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

June 23, 2010

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will visit the U.S. -Russia “Civil Society to Civil Society” (C2C) Summit Innovation Marketplace Thursday, June 24 at 4:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. Secretary Clinton will also deliver brief remarks.

The second annual C2C Summit will address the role of peer-to-peer collaboration between U.S. and Russian civil society organizations and is being organized on the sidelines of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Washington D.C. For two days, working groups composed of leading Russian and American leaders will facilitate dialogue on civil society and encourage continued bilateral collaborations.

The C2C Summit was launched shortly after the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission was announced in July 2009 by Presidents Obama and Medvedev as a way to improve communication and cooperation between the governments of Russia and the U.S. The Bilateral Presidential Commission (BPC) and its sixteen working groups, including one on Civil Society, serve as a platform for government-to-government dialogue between the two countries.

The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is the convener of the C2C Summit.

Oh yes! I do believe she has succeeded!