FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO MOSCOW: US AND RUSSIA HAVE MUCH IN COMMON








WASHINGTON, March 7, 2001. /from RIA Novosti correspondent Arkady Orlov/--Robert Strauss, the former US ambassador to Russia and currently one of the most prominent US lawyers who chairs the US-Russia Business Council, has declared that Russia and the USA "have much in common, they don't have that many differences." On Tuesday evening the residence of the RF ambassador hosted a solemn reception and a concert in honour of Robert Strauss. Celebrations in honour of famous Americans who made a considerable contribution to the expansion of dialogue between the USA and Russia are held in Washington on the initiative of Russian ambassador to the USA Yuri Ushakov.


	Speaking with journalists in the residence of the Russian ambassador to Washington Strauss emphasised that the current relations between the USA and Russia "have somewhat cooled down facing some difficulties," but, in his words, the USA and Russia together "will overcome these insignificant obstacles." Saying that he has always "had warm feelings" toward Russia, the head of the US-Russia Business Council declared that he was still sure Russo-American relations had much in store.


	In his speech Russian ambassador to the USA Yuri Ushakov stressed that Robert Strauss "went down in history as an ambassador who worked simultaneously in the capitals of two states, first in the USSR and then in the Russian Federation." According to him, in the course of his work in Moscow Strauss "developed a special liking to Russia and won high respect among the Russian leadership and all Russians." Representatives of the State Department and House of Representatives of the US Congress, former US presidential advisor on national security in the Clinton administration Samuel Berger, prominent US newsmen and political TV commentators came to hail Robert Strauss. The US ambassador to Russia James Collins arrived from Moscow to attend the reception.