Economic Affairs
The Embassy's Economic Section monitors and manages the full range of economic relations between the United States and Russia. The section is divided into the Economic Policy Unit and the Trade and Investment Unit and also hosts the Embassy's Assistance Coordinator. The Economic Section provides U.S. government agencies in Washington, DC and other embassies around the world with accurate, timely, first-hand information and expert analysis on Russian economic and financial developments. It advances U.S. economic and commercial interests by facilitating the formulation of U.S. economic policy toward Russia, encouraging Russia's transition to a market economy, coordinating technical assistance to the Russian Federation, and promoting bilateral trade and investment. The Economic section works closely with other Embassy offices - especially the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Section and the U.S. Department of Energy - to promote U.S. commercial interests in Russia.
Some of the many issues handled by the Economic section include:
- Economic and Financial Reform
- Promotion of the Rule of Law
- Macro- and Micro-Economic Analysis
- Bilateral Trade and Investment
- U.S.-Russia Energy Relations
- Protection of Intellectual Property Rights
- Development of U.S.-Russia Business Ties
- Multilateral Trade and Russia's Accession to the World Trade Organization
- Development Assistance
- Civil Aviation and other Transport Issues
- Structural Reforms, including Banking, Housing, Education, Healthcare and other Social Services
- Labor, Workplace and Employment
Economic Policy Unit
The Policy Unit monitors and supports the Government of Russia's efforts to transform Russia into a fully functioning market economy. It analyzes and reports on relevant legislative activity and the progress of the government's economic policy initiatives. It coordinates the provision of U.S. expert advice as it works to support the Russian government in transforming the economy. Priorities include tracking development of small and medium-size enterprises, analyzing macroeconomic, microeconomic and socio-economic developments in Russia, evaluating the effect of social welfare reform, and reporting on the formation of a middle class in Russia and Russia's struggle with corruption. Additional issues of focus include civil aviation and other transportation issues and competition and natural monopolies reform.
Trade & Investment Unit
The Trade and Investment Unit, in cooperation with the Embassy's Foreign Commercial Service, monitors and supports improvements in Russia's changing investment climate, defends and promotes U.S. bilateral trade interests (including protection of intellectual property rights and support of U.S. investors' rights), and is actively engaged in supporting Russia's accession to the WTO and building a robust energy relationship.
Assistance Coordinator
The Assistance Coordinator is the Department of State's liaison in Moscow for all U.S. Government bilateral and multilateral assistance to the Russian Federation. The Assistance Coordinator works closely with USAID and other government agencies to ensure that U.S. programs cooperate to maximize the effectiveness of U.S. government assistance in Russia.
U.S. Government Links
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- Foreign Commercial Service
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Treasury
- U.S. Department of Energy and Energy Information Agency
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- United States Trade Representative
- The Export-Import Bank of the United States
- U.S. Trade and Development Agency
- Foreign Trade Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau
Becoming an Economic Officer
Russian Links
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Central Bank of Russia
- Economic Expert Group
- Institute of the Economy in Transition
- Goskomstat Federal Commission on Securities Markets
International Links