Members of the Norfolk Sister City Association are hosting the delegates during their stay. The five delegates are Mizamir Alieskerov, Aleksey Shkudov, and Igor Gurin from Kaluga, Aleksandr Klimov from Moscow, Svetlana Larionova from Orel, and facilitator Sergey Sergeyev from Moscow.
 
The Russian delegates will visit the Virginia Eastern District Court in Norfolk, the Law School at the College of William and Mary, NATO Headquarters, and the Virginia Beach City Jail. They will experience some of Norfolk's more unique events including the annual "Holidays in the City" Grand Illumination Parade in downtown Norfolk.  They will also attend a mock trial, sightsee in Colonial Williamsburg and visit the National Center for State Courts.

Sixteen years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation is well into the post-Soviet Russia transition. The delegates hope their visit to Norfolk will provide them with valuable tools to learn about the functions of the judicial court system and implementation of court rulings in the United States in order to use this knowledge in their own communities at home.

"It's so heartwarming to find that people are pretty much alike, relative to the human family.  We all have the same needs, desires and hopes for ourselves and our families.  Governments and political systems may disagree but people throughout the world share the same human spirit," said Polly Owens of Norfolk Sister Cities.  "The program is key to promoting mutual respect, admiration and understanding among guests and hosts.  The combination of hands-on professional activities with cultural and social activities and the host family experience is one of the strengths of the program."

Norfolk has long-standing ties to the Russian federation through its sister-city program with Kaliningrad in 1992.  Kaliningrad is located in western Russia on the Baltic Sea.  The city is economically based in industry, fishing, agriculture, and its amber resources.  Norfolk and Kaliningrad have hosted several delegations each, including student, teacher, and medical professional exchanges.  High school and university students from both communities held a live web chat in March 2006.      

The Open World Program focuses on bringing young political and civic leaders from Russia and Ukraine to the United States for a hands-on introduction to American democracy and free enterprise.  It is sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent agency established and funded by the U.S. Congress and housed at  the Library of Congress. Sister Cities International and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) are partners in supporting the Open World Program.  Themes for visits may encompass a wide range of issues, including health care, education, environment, women as leaders, and youth issues. 

Each Open World community in the United States hosts a ten day visit for four delegates and one facilitator.  Before the trip to their host city, the delegates attend a pre--departure program in Moscow or Kiev and then an orientation in Washington, D. C. to learn about basic United States government relationships, the balance of power and the rule of law.

About Sister Cities International
Representing more than 2,500 communities in 137 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs.