World Russia Forum

The Summit Council for World Peace is co-hosting with the American University in Moscow the 29th annual World Russia Forum in Washington, D.C., on April 26-27, 2010 at the Hart Senate Office Building, George Washington University, and the Russian Cultural Center. The Forum is one of the leading venues for the discussion and analysis of U.S.-Russia political, economic, social, and cultural relations. It has been annually attended by senior Russian officials, members of the Russian Duma, and leading Russian businessmen, who gather for discussions with their American counterparts.

This year the World Russia Forum takes place on the anniversary of an historic event in U.S.-Russian history. On April 25, 1945, in the last year of World War II, American and Russian forces (traveling from west and east, respectively) linked up 75 miles south of Berlin in the town of Torgau, Germany, on the Elbe River. When the troops met, they effectively bifurcated Germany, contributing to the end of the Third Reich. April 25, 2010 marks the 65th anniversary of that momentous meeting between the U.S. Army’s 69th Infantry Division and Russia’s 58th Guards Division, and will be commemorated in a cultural event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the day before the Forum, on Sunday, April 25.

Speakers on the American side include: U.S. Secretary of Energy, Hon. Dr. Steven Chu; Director of National Drug Control Policy, Hon. R. Gil Kerlikowske; and Hon. William J. Burns, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. From Russia, attending will be: Hon. Victor Ivanov, Head, Federal Drug Enforcement Service; Hon. Sergei Ryabkov, Chief Arms Control Negotiator; and Hon. Constantin Kosachev, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, Russian State Duma.

For more information, email WorldRussiaForum@gmail.com or visit this site

60th Anniversary of the Korean War

June 25 marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, in which soldiers from 16 nations fighting under the United Nations flag deterred aggression against the Republic of Korea and preserved freedom.

In June, the renown Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea will commence a tour to the 16 countries that contributed troops to the UN as an expression of gratitude to those who came to Korea’s aid. Initially, they will perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; New York; Atlanta; Ottawa, Canada; and Bogotá, Colombia; the tour will then shift to Southeast Asia and Oceania this fall, and Europe and Africa in 2011. The Summit Council is providing significant administrative support to the Korean War 60th Anniversary Memorial Committee for this worldwide tour.

The Little Angels have performed at the White House, at the United Nations General Assembly, before HRH Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, at the Kremlin, as well as at other notable venues throughout the world. These children are a symbol of peace and the Korean people’s ambassadors for peace and goodwill.

Letters of welcome for the Little Angels tour have been received from H. E. Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea; Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; Hon. George H. W. Bush, President of the United States (1989-93); Hon. George W. Bush, President of the United States (2001-2009); and Gen. Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State (2001-05).

On June 25, the Summit Council will co-host a wreath-laying ceremony with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea at the Korean War Memorial. After the short ceremony, guests are invited to the nearby stage area by the reflecting pool for formal remarks and a Little Angels performance. Veterans are especially welcome to attend. For more information, contact koreanwar60@gmail.com or visit this site