California Governor Hopes Silicon Valley To Become Place For Closer US-Russia Cooperation

SAN FRANCISCO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2018) Governor of California Edmund Brown has said that he is hopeful that California's Silicon Valley as well as the Pacific region will become the areas for closer cooperation between Russia and the United States.

"California is the fifth largest economy in the world. The Silicon Valley, the Pacific region - these are very important areas of world. I hope that they can be places where Russians and Americans become closer in their collaboration," Brown told reporters on Saturday.

When asked whether he was afraid of what could be said in Washington about such approach to Russia, Brown replied in the negative.

"I know what is needed. And what is needed is less rhetoric, more understanding and more dialogue. That's always the way we have to proceed," the governor explained.

Brown noted that a possible cooperation between Russia and California's companies would be disclosed at the upcoming Fort Ross Dialogue.

"We look forward to that and we will be discussing some of these things at the Fort Ross Dialogue, and I am looking forward to that expanding now this year and in the years to come as a basis of focusing Russia and US relations in the Pacific and the West, where there is a lot of opportunity," he stressed.

Relations between the United States and Russia worsened following their disagreement over the crisis in Ukraine. The United States imposed several round of sanctions against Russia after Crimea held a referendum in 2014 in which a vast majority of residents decided to reunify with Russia.

Washington also accused Moscow of meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and has imposed additional rounds of sanctions. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations.

When asked what should be done to improve the relations between the two nations, Brown said that first of all, "what needs to be done is more dialogue, more communication."

"We have a very severe obligation since both the leader of Russia and the leader of America have hands on the button that could eliminate humanity itself. So, based on that power, we have an obligation to pursue in wisdom, cooperative path forward," he noted.

Brown spoke after the unveiling and blessing of a memorial cross at Fort Ross Orthodox Cemetery in California.

Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment founded in 1812. Now it is a Californian state park, included in the list of National Historic Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places. The cemetery with 131 identified grave sites is located next to the settlement.

The cemetery was also registered as a military burial site after the representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry in the United States discovered in 2016 in the military archives that several sailors of the Russian Imperial Navy had been buried there.