VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #2555/01 2821103
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091103Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5047
INFO RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS MOSCOW 002555 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NP/ECC - ACHURCH 
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - DMARTIN 
CBP/INA FOR PWARKER 
USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP UP RS
SUBJECT:  EXBS RUSSIA MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE 
SEPTEMBER 2009 
 
Summary:  This cable highlights activities of the Export Control and 
Related Border Security (EXBS) Russia Program Office for the period 
of September 01, 2009 to September 30, 2009.  End Summary 
 
¶1.  A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) delegation visited 
Russia September 11-23 to deliver a groundbreaking seminar and to 
hold meetings with Russian officials on a variety of strategic 
issues.  This was the first time in many years that a senior-ranking 
member of CBP has led a group to Russia.  The visit, coming in the 
wake of President Obama's visit to Moscow in July, was very well 
received. The EXBS Advisor and Assistant provided extensive 
coordination and logistical support in the weeks leading up to, 
during, and after the CBP visit. 
 
¶2.  The first-of-its-kind seminar on Supply Chain Security for 
Russia was held September 15-17 at Federal Customs Service 
headquarters in Moscow. In his opening remarks, Mr. Thomas Corwin, 
head of the European section of the International Department of CBP 
and leader of the US delegation, emphasized that supply chain 
security processes are integrated into World Customs Organization 
standards - a point of interest to Russia. The team of experts also 
included Mr. Mike Chandarlis, head of the section on foreign customs 
cooperation; Ms. Olga Hernandez, instructor; and Ms. Karen Chaisson, 
Program Manager for Russia.  About 20 Russian officials from various 
departments, including enforcement, information technology, policy, 
and the Customs Academy, attended the three-day seminar.  The 
concept of cooperating with enterprises to ensure that goods are 
secured at every point of transfer, from factory to destination, is 
a relatively new one in Russia.  Course participants expressed both 
interest in the processes and methodologies of supply chain 
security, as well as healthy skepticism, asking many questions 
related to training, verification, performance measures, and 
enforcement.  The CBP experts supplied a wealth of examples from 
their professional experiences with supply chain security, making 
the theories come alive.  Feedback from Russian Customs about 
exposure to the supply chain security process was very positive; 
further validation came from a press release with photos on the 
event, prominently featured on their website.  Discussions are 
ongoing about future cooperation on supply chain security, including 
the establishment of a program for Russia. 
 
¶3.  In addition to delivering the seminar in Moscow, the CBP team 
held productive meetings with US and Russian officials.  EXBS 
appreciates the time that Naomi Fellows and Robert Bond of the 
economic and political sections, respectively, devoted to briefings 
about the effect of the financial crisis in Russia; economic and 
political relations with neighbors such as Central Asia and China; 
and the impact of foreign and domestic politics on Russia's foreign 
and domestic policies.  As CBP's interagency point of contact in 
Russia, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) representative 
offered his office's support and gave a fascinating account of ICE's 
cooperation on enforcement matters with Russian authorities. 
 
¶4.  Another set of successful meetings was held with the 
International Cooperation Department of Russian Customs at their 
Moscow headquarters.  Mr. Sergei Konovalenko, head of the section, 
conveyed the Custom Service's appreciation of the Supply Chain 
Security seminar and support for further cooperation.  He repeated a 
theme that he has brought up before with EXBS:  the desire for an 
MOU between US and Russian Customs concerning information exchanges 
about goods and transporation issues; cooperation with the Russian 
Customs Academy and counterparts in the US; as well as interest in a 
possible IVP for the head of Russian Customs to visit the US in the 
near future.  Ms. Chaisson explained that there is already in place 
a broad general mutual assistance agreement between the US and 
Russia, but the US side is willing to consider these and other 
initiatives. 
 
¶5.  Before leaving Moscow, the CBP team met with Ms. Elena Kitova, 
the head of the development section of the Russian Agency for the 
Development of National Border Facilities, also known as 
Rosgranitsa.  This two-year-old federal agency was created as way of 
resolving territorial and political differences between the Customs 
Service and the Border Guards.  Rosgranitsa mainly deals with the 
security of border checkpoint buildings and other infrastructure, 
such as computer systems.  Ms. Kitova asked CBP's for assistance in 
organizing and implementing a fact-finding tour for a small 
delegation to include their chief, to observe security of facilities 
at US border areas.  CBP responded positively, asking for follow-up 
through the Russian Embassy in Washington, and promising to keep 
EXBS informed. 
 
¶6.  The CBP group next traveled to St. Petersburg, meeting with 
Russian Customs officials there and also touring their Customs 
 
Academy.  The purpose of the St. Petersburg visit was for the CBP 
delegation to evaluate the scope and content of a request by Russian 
Customs for advanced training in Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) at 
the Customs Academy.  Arguably the most memorable part of the entire 
CBP visit to Russia was the tour of the Customs Academy in St. 
Petersburg, hosted by its director, Mr. Alexander Myachin.  It is 
not an exaggeration to state that so impressed was the US delegation 
with the sophisticated quality level of the instructors, the 
students, the curriculum, and the technological teaching aids 
(including distance learning capabilities), that they are now in the 
process of rethinking the entire course that they had planned to 
deliver in early 2010 on advanced NII, to offer a much higher level 
of instruction. 
 
¶8.  As part of the NII course content evaluation, the CBP group was 
taken to the port of St. Petersburg to observe cargo scanning 
equipment in actual use.  At the luncheon hosted by senior customs 
officers which followed the port tour, interest in CBP's operations 
and management methods was very high, as evidenced by a constant 
stream of questions from the Russian side on a wide range of topics 
from technical specifications of NII equipment to recruitment, 
training, and retention practices of CBP officers.  It was clear 
that both the US and Russian customs officers received strong and 
lasting positive impressions from the interactions in Moscow and St. 
Petersburg. 
 
¶9.  In other matters, EXBS is working closely with the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (MFA) and FSTEK, the Russian export controls 
licensing authority, as well as with State Department and the 
Department of Commerce, on a Program Review which will include an 
export licensing exchange.  The MFA requested a resumption of 
Program Reviews, encompassing not only export controls issues but 
also nonproliferation matters, which were last held in 2007.  The 
licensing exchange is significant in that it was also requested by 
the Russian side, and represents the first direct cooperation 
between EXBS and FSTEK.  Plans are underway to hold the combined 
event the first week of February 2010. 
 
BEYRLE