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RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #2367/01 2581343
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151343Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4813
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002367 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR ECON ETRD KDEM RS
SUBJECT: MAYOR DALEY VISIT:  MOSCOW AND CHICAGO PRESS 
"RESET" 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary:  Mayor of Chicago Richard M. Daley, 
accompanied by advisors and business leaders, visited Moscow 
September 2-6, 2009.  The purpose of the visit included 
promoting commercial and cultural exchange between the 
cities, reaffirming the Moscow-Chicago Sister City 
relationship, and discussing Chicago's 2016 Summer Olympic 
bid.  The visit was an overwhelming success as Moscow and 
Chicago hit the "reset" button on a city-to-city level.  The 
visit also resulted in closer ties between the U.S. Embassy 
and the Moscow City government.  End Summary. 
 
Sister City Exchange 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley led a delegation of 
business and government leaders to Moscow September 2-6.  His 
trip was to reciprocate for the visit of First Deputy Mayor 
Vladimir Resin to Chicago in April 2009 to attend the Chicago 
Global Cities Forum.  Daley's delegation focused on promoting 
increased commercial and cultural exchange between the two 
cities.  The trip, sponsored by the Chicagoland Chamber of 
Commerce and World Business Chicago, built on the sister 
cities relationship established between Chicago and Moscow in 
¶1997. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Daley met with Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov to sign 
an agreement that renewed the ties between their cities. 
Daley commended Luzhkov on his continuing efforts to 
revitalize Moscow through more cultural exchanges, greening 
projects, and outreach to business leaders worldwide.  He 
named public education, mass transit, water conservation, and 
other environmental issues as some of the challenges facing 
Chicago and urban areas around the world. 
 
Increased Business Cooperation 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Daley was the keynote presenter at a business 
meeting with 100 leading Russian entrepreneurs.  During his 
presentation, Daley said, "I have always maintained that the 
things that unite cities far outweighs any difference we 
might have."  He added, "I believe the business relationship 
between Chicago and Moscow is strong, and we want it to grow 
stronger."  Daley reminded meeting participants that the 
Chicago Customs District had $83 million in imports from 
Russia and $138 million in exports to Russia in 2008.  He 
also pointed out that 35 companies based in the Chicago area 
have operations in Russia, including McDonald's, Motorola, 
and several law firms.  Chicago-based Boeing has a 
significant presence in Moscow, the site of one of its design 
centers worldwide.  Daley's staffers also met with members of 
the Ministry of Trade to discuss the Russia National 
Exhibition in Chicago, which is slated for November 18-21. 
The purpose of the exhibit is to describe and present Russia, 
its culture, and its trade potential. 
 
2016 Olympic Bid 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Daley complimented Russia for its leadership in 
winning the competition to host the 2014 Winter Olympics 
which will be held in Sochi.  Chicago is the United States of 
America's candidate city to host the 2016 Summer Olympic and 
Paraolympic Games.  Daley said that if Chicago is successful 
in securing the games in the final round of competition in 
Copenhagen next month he looks forward to working with Russia 
to strengthen the Olympic Movement. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  On September 4, Daley and Mike Roberts, former 
President and COO of McDonalds and Vice Chairman, Chicago 
2016, met with Vitaly Mutko, the Russian Federation's 
Minister of Sports, Tourism, and Youth Policy.  Although 
Daley and Roberts openly sought the Minister's support for 
Chicago 2016, they focused on global benefits they expected 
to result from such close business cooperation between the 
U.S. and Russia.  Linking Chicago's Olympic bid with Russia's 
hopes towards hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup and possibly 
even a U.S. bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Daley and 
Roberts presented a farsighted perspective on the possible 
outcome of closer U.S. and Russian coordination, cooperation, 
and healthy competition, especially in the sports arena. 
 
Media Attention 
--------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Mayor Daley's visit attracted significant media 
attention.  Vesti 24 broadcast segments of an interview with 
 
MOSCOW 00002367  002 OF 002 
 
 
the Mayor on its evening news program September 7 and 8th. 
Local Moscow television channel Stolitza and RIA Novosti wire 
service covered the Mayor's visit.  Vedomosti, a business 
newspaper, interviewed Mayor Daley and is writing a story on 
the Mayor's visit.  Bloomberg also interviewed him as part of 
an article for the Olympics.  AP published a series of 
photographs of the Mayor's visit. 
 
Atmospherics 
------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Daley and Luzhkov clearly strengthened city-to-city 
relations during the visit.  Moreover, Luzhkov attended a 
reception at the Ambassador's residence for the first time in 
over a decade and delivered a speech about improving 
U.S.-Russian relations before more than 100 guests, including 
State Duma members, members of the MFA, famous athletes, and 
journalists.  After the Moscow City Day celebration, Luzhkov 
personally took Daley on a three-hour private tour of Moscow 
and capped the excursion with a bear hug.  The two men were 
on a first name basis by the end of the visit.  The Daley 
visit also deepened channels of communication between the 
U.S. Embassy and the Moscow City government, enabling us to 
further strengthen relations at the working level. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU)  The Daley visit was an enormous success and we saw 
tangible results of the "reset" policy on the city-to-city 
level.  The closer ties will give us the opportunity to have 
a broader dialogue with city officials on a range of issues. 
 
Beyrle