Russian President Dmitry Medvedev kicked off his visit to the United States by a series of high-tech acts in the Silicon Valley and a promise to modernize further the Russian political system.
Russia's 'Silicon Valley'
Medvedev, who has been pushing ahead the creation of a hi-tech research hub outside Moscow, said it was "interesting" for him to visit the Silicon Valley and "feel the atmosphere."
He said Russia's high-tech hub in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo, which has been dubbed by the media as Russia's Silicon Valley, would not be a clone to the U.S. hub.
"No one is going to copy the Silicon Valley, it is impossible," the Russian president said. However, he said "it is advisable to adopt" some of Silicon Valley's experience and certain principles of its operations.
During a meeting with Russian specialists working in the Silicon Valley, Medvedev said "there is a huge difference from what is found in Russia, and this is the first thing to correct."
Medvedev, who seeks to diversify the Russian economy by reducing its dependence on oil and gas exports, has made developing hi-tech sectors and encouraging research the focal point of his economic agenda.
"Ideally, Skolkovo should turn into a certain system, which attracts people, [a place] where people want to come... and this cannot be achieved through a [presidential] decree," he added.
Russia is planning to spend some 4.6 billion rubles ($158 mln) for the construction of its hi-tech research hub in 2010.
"Infrastructure is one of the most important problems. In Skolkovo, it may be built from scratch, on the basis of advanced technologies. Otherwise, we will fail," Medvedev said.
He also said that Russia's Skolkovo might open its office in the Silicon Valley.
"It is important for Skolkovo to inherit the spirit which exists here. Doing this is a matter of communication, the matter of how often you would communicate with Skolkovo," he told Russian specialists.
According to Medvedev, Russian development institutions might also send their representatives to the Silicon Valley.
Medvedev admitted that he did not know if the Russian project will be a success.
"It's hard to foresee, but we will try to do everything decently," he said.
The Russian government approved in March 2006 a program to create technoparks to incorporate high-tech enterprises in the sectors of nano- and bio-information, and other types of technology, as well as scientific research organizations, educational institutions and other related ventures.
The Skolkovo research center's activities will focus on five priority spheres: energy, information technologies, communication, biomedical research and nuclear technologies.
Medvedev expressed hope on Thursday that his "symbolic" visit to the Silicon Valley will contribute to the development of innovative companies in Russia, particularly in Skolkovo.
"My visit here is to set a certain target for our businesses, [to show] that they should engage in this... Signs and symbols have huge importance in life," Medvedev said.
"We learned [how] to start big businesses and spend big money. For some major Russian businessmen it's easier to spend $50,000-100,000 for their own pleasures than to invest them into a venture project," he went on.
Despite the fact that Russia's answer to the Silicon Valley is still in the planning stages, several companies already announced their participation, including one of the world's largest technology companies CISCO. Finnish mobile giant Nokia will become a founding member in the project.
"That's why it's important for Skolkovo not just to invite giants like Cisco or Apple there - they will come there on their own, just to expand their presence in Russia. The most important is to make small businesses run," Medvedev said.
Medvedev opens Twitter account, presented I-Phone
In a symbolic act, Medvedev opened an official Twitter account during his visit to the hub of the micro-blog company in the Silicon Valley.
Medvedev registered KremlinRussia for Russian and KremlinRussia_e for English language tweets. He inspected the company's office and sent his first tweet in Russian, saying "Hi everyone! I'm on Twitter now and this is my first message."
A second tweet followed, in which the Russian president said he was going to visit the Apple, Yandex and Cisco offices while in California.
Twitter is a social-networking service that lets people keep each other informed about what they are doing throughout the day.
Medvedev, who portrays himself as a young and technologically savvy leader, has a blog on Live Journal and an account on YouTube.
Obama, whose presidential campaign broke new ground with its use of the Internet, was one of the first heads of state to have Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Medvedev became the first Russian to get the brand new iPhone 4, which are to go on sale on Thursday, during his visit to the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
The Russian leader received the smartphone as a present from Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
According to the Russian mobile operator Beeline, the brand new device may appear on the Russian market no earlier than September.
During his visit to the Silicon Valley, the Russian leader also visited the U.S. office of the Russian search engine Yandex.
2012 elections: Medvedev may run
Medvedev said he might run in the 2012 presidential elections in Russia if he manages to implement his projects and secure popular support.
"If by that time my plans start being implemented, if I have the support of our people... if I have the desire to continue, then I do not rule this out," he said at a meeting with representatives of business, scientific and public circles at Stanford University.
He added that being the head of state was a challenging task for any politician.
Medvedev, Putin's close ally, succeeded him as president in 2008. The two men then formed a "tandem," with Putin becoming prime minister.
Putin, who along with Medvedev is among Russia's most popular politicians, has also not ruled out running in the next presidential election.
A recent survey by an independent pollster said Russians think Medvedev and Putin have almost equal chances of becoming the next Kremlin chief after the 2012 presidential election.
Medvedev also said that the modernization of Russia's economy would require political modernization.
"Our political system constantly evolves. Its basis has already been formed. It provides every citizen with an opportunity to defend his constitutional rights. Of course, no one is perfect, and we are ready to improve our political system. But on our own, without rebukes from abroad," the Russian leader said.
He said that Russia would improve other political and legal institutions, including the judicial system and the protection of property rights.
"My task as a president is to increase the prestige of courts and to establish on this basis a working legal system in which our citizens will trust," he said.
He said that the legal basis in Russia already was "quite modern."
"The most important thing for us is to teach [people] to respect the law and to assure that laws are applied correctly, including proper court procedures and all-encompassing execution of court rulings by all: by the state, by business and by individuals," the president said.
Medvedev also touched upon Russia's relations with Georgia, saying that Moscow and Tbilisi would improve ties as soon as Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili leaves his post.
Long-standing tensions between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia turned violent during a five-day war in August 2008, when Tbilisi attacked South Ossetia, where most residents are Russian passport holders, in an attempt to bring it back under central control.
Medvedev said that the two neighbors currently had "dramatically poor relations."
"And this is not our fault, because we think that Russia protected its citizens and interests. Regrettably, it led to sad consequences, but I wish our relations with Georgia get back to normal," he said.
Russia-U.S. ties
Medvedev has pledged to do his best to develop relations between Russia and the United States.
"I will work to ensure very warm relations between our countries, our universities," he told participants in the meeting at Stanford University.
He said he was inspired by what he saw in the Silicon Valley and at Stanford University.
"Seeing is believing... It is really impressive," he said.
