– Mr. Vinokurov, did you have the dream of becoming a diplomat from your early formative years?

– No, in fact, until my last grade in high school in the city of Kyahta in the republic of Buryatia I was certain that I would become a physicist or a mathematician. I have taken first prizes at a number of regional math and physics competitions; I participated in the All-Soviet Olympiad of Mathematics. It seemed that the direction my future would take once I finished school had been predetermined. I was invited to attend special summer courses on mathematics and physics at Akademgorodok in Novosibirsk, where future students were selected. However, my instructor at the summer academy – I still don’t know if he did it by accident or intentionally – wrote in his opinion memo (which, by the way, was placed in a visible spot where I could see it) that I was talented, but not to the degree of being able to make scientific breakthroughs. I then decided that science was not for me.

I was a quick learner of foreign languages, and so I decided to go to Moscow to try to get into the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations. However, they were not able to process my admission documents because I did not have a recommendation from the Communist Party. The girl from the admissions committee suggested that I try applying to the Institute of the Countries of Asia and Africa at the Moscow State University, where the Party recommendation was not required.

After I graduated from the university, I worked for four years at the State Committee on External Economic Relations. After that, at the very same time I received invitations to join the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I chose to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From that time forward, I have been working in the area of foreign relations.

– In what countries did you work besides the United States?

– After graduating from the university, I experienced problems with being able to work in my field of specialty. I was studying the Thai language, but there was little demand for people specializing in Thailand at that point in time. My situation was all the more difficult because I did not have Moscow registration. As strange as it would sound, the revolution in Laos helped me significantly. There arose a need for specialists who could speak Laotian, and there were very few of those. The Thai language is very much similar to the Lao language, and I learned it very quickly. The first half of my professional career was in one way or another connected with Laos and Southeast Asia.

In 1996, I switched to the North American direction. I first worked as a section head at the North American Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I then worked as a senior counselor at the Russian Embassy in Washington. Next, I returned to the Department of North America at the Ministry in the capacity of deputy director. I was responsible for Russia’s relations with Canada, as well as for some aspects of Russia’s relations with the United States. After spending five years in Moscow, I once again came to the U.S. as the Consul General at the Russian Consulate in San Francisco. This is how my short biography goes.

– The countries you’ve been to are so different. Is it difficult to change from one country to another? Do diplomats have preferences? Do they distinguish between “prestigious” countries and “non-prestigious” countries?

– In principle, the nature of the diplomatic service is in large measure the same, no matter where you happen to be. Nonetheless, in order to work successfully in a particular country, it is essential to be well acquainted with the political system of that state, its economy, history, and culture, in addition to a number of other things. This is why it takes some time to adjust from working in one region to working in another. Still, it gives you an opportunity to look at the world in a new light – without getting bored with the same routine.

It does not matter if some would call a country “prestigious” or “non prestigious.” The heart of the matter is that everything depends on the person, not on the country. As they say in America, it depends on the person’s ability to see the glass as half full, and not half empty. One can find good and bad things in any country. I felt myself comfortable in both Laos and the United States – two very different countries.

– Please tell us about your consular district. Were you able to establish good relationships with the governors of the states comprising your district? Do you feel that there is interest and respect towards Russia?

– Eight states comprise our consular district: they are California, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Hawaii, and New Mexico.

The Consulate is located in San Francisco, and we have a very close relationship with the government of California. It is very much understandable why this is the case. California is the most economically-developed state in the United States. It has rather active economic, political, and even historical connections with Russia. As an example, I could mention the visit of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with a trade mission to Russia in October 2010.

We also keep close contacts with the leaders of other states in the consular district. I can tell you that all of our proposals for deepening and expanding Russian-American relations at the regional level always resonate well with public institutions and private parties. We always receive a constructive and a friendly response.

– Mr. Vinokurov, in recent months, California has taken the front line in the Russian-American business relationship. On June 23, 2010, the visit of President Medvedev to the United States began in San Francisco, where the Russian leader met with the California governor and the representatives of high-tech sector companies from Silicon Valley. In your view, how real is the dream of President Medvedev to build the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo into the Russian version of Silicon Valley with American foreign direct investment?

– I think it would be extraneous here to talk about the reasons why our President decided to visit Silicon Valley. It always was and still remains the world’s leader in high technology.

On the other hand, I would like to emphasize that we are not talking about replicating Silicon Valley in the suburbs of Moscow. It would not be possible. Rather, the President wished to learn about the experience of the companies here in California – especially in relation to the commercialization of research and development projects. Russia would like to create an effective mechanism for that.

I have no doubts about the success of the Skolkovo project. That is in the sense that it will be a working model and a good example of how to stimulate the innovative process that would be designed to function in the Russian market environment.

My confidence is founded on the high degree of interest that companies from Silicon Valley have demonstrated in relation to the Russian project. I should say that Skolkovo was able to attract not only American companies. A number of high-tech companies from other countries also joined the project.

– Did the participants at the October session of the U.S.-Russia Business Council conducted in San Francisco note any progress in the realization of the project? The U.S.-Russia Business Council event was attended by Russian tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, who is responsible for the Skolkovo project on the Russian side.

– The U.S.-Russia Business Council organized its annual meeting on the West coast for the first time in many years. The session of the U.S.-Russia Business Council was a logical continuation of the visit of the Russian President to California and the trip of Governor Schwarzenegger to Russia together with a delegation of American venture capitalists and heads of high-tech companies. The theme of the conference – “From Silicon Valley to Skolkovo: Forging Innovation Partnerships” – very much reflects that association. 

I also would like to point out that the attendees of the U.S.-Russia Business Council meeting were high-profile businessmen and political leaders on both the Russian and the American sides. The participants of the forum showed great interest in relation to the opportunities of investing into the Russian high-tech sector. At the presentation of the Skolkovo project, the audience hall was full, and the people asked many questions.

– How developed are the business connections between the other states within your district and Russia?

– Not as developed as we’d like to see them. The level of trade and investment does not yet correspond to the potential of our economies. Still, there are some bright spots that give grounds for optimism. First, Russia is becoming more attentive to Western states of the U.S. The best example is the visit of President Medvedev to California.

There are good prospects for expanding cooperation between Siberia and the Russian Far East on the one side and the Western states of the United States on the other side. The Russian American Pacific Partnership is dedicated to pursuing this very goal.

There is interest to cooperate with Western state from other regions of Russia. As an example, we can talk about the recent visit of the President of the republic of Tatarstan Mr. Rustam N. Minnikhanov to Silicon Valley.

Of course, the main trading partner of Russia in our consular district, as well as in the United States as a whole, is the state of California. Trade with Russia increased steadily over the course of several recent years. The only exception was in 2009, when the flow of goods went down due to the financial crisis and the onset of the global economic downturn. However, in 2010, the growth in our bilateral trade increased, and there are all reasons to believe that this trend will continue in the future.

– Would you be able to name several American companies that are actively working with Russia within your district? How often do American businessmen ask for your assistance in forming commercial relationships with partners in Russia?

– We maintain close connections with the American companies working in Russia, whose headquarters are located in our consular district. I can name Chevron, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Intel, Google; there are many others.

Of course, we also offer assistance to American businesses that wish to enter the Russian market. We provide consulting services in relation to investing and conducting business operations in Russia. We help establish contacts, especially on the regional level. We also help support projects that are important for Russia, such as high-tech cooperation.

From time to time, we receive requests from American businessmen to confirm the legitimacy of their potential Russian partners or to find a Russian company suitable for a particular commercial transaction. This is technically outside of the Consulate’s competence. In these cases, we give people recommendations as to where they should go.

– Mr. Vinokurov, there is much talk lately about “restarting” Russian-American relationships. What are the main components of that process in your opinion?

– I would not want to distinguish some areas of Russian-American cooperation as being more or less important. I also would not want to point out differences between those areas where progress has been made, and those where problems still remain. It is important that the general mood in Russia and the United States is very much constructive. We are committed to strengthening and, if possible, expanding our agenda of bilateral cooperation.

At the same time, considering the target audience of your magazine, I would like to point out that considerable progress has been made in eliminating the obstacles that stood in the way of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization.

Another important achievement is the completion of the congressional procedure for approving the “123 Agreement” on peaceful nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and Russia.

The bilateral agenda includes the creation of a regulatory regime and a business climate suitable to the expansion of Russian-American cooperation in the area of high technologies. In particular, we are discussing the need for eliminating the legal obstacles that Russian companies in the high-tech sector would be bound to confront in the U.S. These barriers include the regulatory provisions prohibiting the transfer to Russia of certain advanced technologies. It would be altogether fitting and proper to consider creating a shared modernization agenda between Russia and the United States that would be analogous to the Russia-E.U. “Partnership for Modernization” initiative.