Obama to meet Kasparov in Moscow

by ChessBase
7/4/2009 – US President Barack Obama is meeting with several prominent members of the Russian opposition, including United Civil Front leader (and former chess world champion) Garry Kasparov. The meeting is set to take place on July 7th at the Ritz Carlton hotel. "The previous American administration didn’t dare to do this,” said Kasparov in a radio interview. Report in 'The Other Russia'.

ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024 ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024

It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.

More...

Boris Nemtsov, a chair of the Solidarity opposition movement, has also been invited to the meeting, as were other prominent figures have also been invited, including Pravoe Delo (Right Cause) co-chair Leonid Gozman, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, attorney Yelena Lukyanova, and Federation Council chairman Sergey Mironov.

Obama will travel to Moscow on July 6th for meetings with the Kremlin as well as business and civil society leaders. A meeting with Russia’s leading human rights advocates has been scheduled at the Metropol hotel, the location of a consultation between representatives from NGOs in the US and Russia.

Earlier, Boris Nemtsov argued that it was essential for Obama to meet with opposition forces in Russia. “If the White House agrees to Putin’s suggestion to speak only with pro-Putin organizations… this will mean that Putin has won, but not only that: Putin will become be assured that Obama is weak,” he said.

Nemtsov, who spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said the American administration should lay their stakes on President Dmitri Medvedev, and not Prime Minister Putin.

“I believe that if Medvedev finally takes power into his own hands, we will have a chance to return to a political thaw, to democratization,” he went on. “We are being given the chance to return to rule of law and the Russian Constitution. Clearly, much depends on the opposition, on its energy… Which is why we alone are responsible for our future, and not Obama.”

Other articles

  • Kasparov on Iran: democrats deserve full support
    Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov urged President Barack Obama to take a tougher stance on the Iranian elections, arguing that pressure from the United States can tip the balance in Iran towards democracy. Read the full article here.

  • Senators Advise Obama Before Meeting with Medvedev
    Three US senators were urging President Barack Obama to stand up for democratic values ahead of his upcoming visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), Jon Kyl (R- AZ) and Roger Wicker (R- MS) wrote a letter urging Obama to raise three major issues between the two nations. The complete text, with highlighted key passages, is reprinted here.

  • Other Russia Activist Dies in Prison
    Rim ShaigalimovAn opposition activist from the Siberian city of Kasnoyarsk has died in prison in what authorities describe as a suicide. Prison officials say Rim Shaigalimov, an active member of the Other Russia coalition, jumped from a fourth-story window on June 27th. Relatives, meanwhile, suspect foul play. Read the full article here.

  • Russian Journalist Dies After Brutal Attack
    An independent Russian journalist, Vyacheslav Yaroshenko, has died from his wounds after he was viciously attacked in late April, Radio Svoboda reports. Yaroshenko, the editor-in-chief of the “Corruption and Crime” (Koruptsiya i Kriminal) newspaper, had written articles investigating corruption in local authorities. Read the full article here.

Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register