Leaders in the North Carolina Department of Commerce are taking a renewed interest is business with Russia.
North Carolina business leaders are pretty sophisticated – according to Jean Davis.
Jean Davis: "Many of our North Carolina companies have solid bases in China and Japan and are now looking at Russia as the next horizon for them."
Davis heads the International Trade division at the state Commerce Department. Numbers show a 185-percent jump in exports from North Carolina to Russia in the last year. Mikhail Margelov is chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Russian Federation Council. He says Russia is ready for business.
Mikhail Margelov: "GE, aviation industry, bio-chemicals is what North Carolina is strong in. And these are the spheres Russia and the U-S cooperate very well."
Davis will be making her first trade mission trip to Russia next week.