Cooperation between regions and the private companies from Russia and the U.S. will promote warmer Russian-American relations, the president of the Russian-American Pacific Partnership (RAPP) Derek Norberg said on September 7, 2017 in Vladivostok.

The relationship between Russia and the West worsened because of the situation in Ukraine. Western countries imposed a number of sanctions against Russia, as officials in Moscow took countermeasures to protect Russian agricultural producers. At the same time, Moscow repeatedly rejected the Western countries’ accusations of its intervention in Ukraine, stating that Russia is not a party that needs to be involved in intra-Ukrainian conflict in the Donbass region. Russian representatives have also stated that using the language of sanctions is counterproductive.

“I believe that contacts at the subnational level can give us the best opportunity for building relationships. This goes to the cooperation of the southwestern region of the U.S. with the regions of the Russian Far East,” Mr. Norberg said on the sidelines of the East Economic Forum.

Initiatives from public groups and regions can become a counterbalance to political problems between the countries, he added.

“When we can’t expect significant progress at the national level between Washington and Moscow, we should try to achieve progress at the subnational level, the level of the private sector, and the people-to-people level,” RAPP’s executive director noted.

According to Mr. Norberg, safety at sea can become a subject of common interest for Russia and the U.S. In addition, U.S. companies are potentially interested in investing in the Russian Far East, just like the Asian investors. Derek Norberg pointed out the fact that the Governor of California Jerry Brown attended the East Economic Forum in Russia.

“I think it is very important that the Governor chose to come here. I don’t know if Governor Brown’s coming here is a shift in the paradigm, but it is an important step. It is a huge opportunity,” Derek Norberg concluded.