00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 67                                                                                         
01 Relating to renewal of the bilateral aviation agreement concerning the mandatory                                        
02 Anchorage stopover for Russian carriers on transpacific routes between the Russian                                      
03 Far East and the United States.                                                                                         
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                              
05  WHEREAS the current bilateral agreement between the United States and the Russian                                    
06 Federation that requires a stopover in Anchorage for Russian air carriers on transpacific routes                        
07 between the Russian Far East and the United States expires in May 1998; and                                             
08  WHEREAS this bilateral agreement preserves the equal footing of American air                                         
09 carriers operating mid-range aircraft with their Russian counterparts; and                                              
10  WHEREAS the maintenance of this bilateral agreement preserves the position of                                        
11 Anchorage as the American gateway to the Russian Far East and prevents further decline in                               
12 international air traffic through Anchorage, which would result in reduced economic                                     
13 opportunities in the state's largest municipality; and                                                                  
14  WHEREAS the state has previously sustained the sudden loss of tens of millions of                                    

01 dollars and the departure of 10 European and Asian passenger air carriers in a two-year                                 
02 period; and                                                                                                             
03  WHEREAS there is a large Russian community in the state that would be severely                                       
04 affected economically, socially, and culturally if air travel to and from the Russian Far East                          
05 became more limited; and                                                                                                
06  WHEREAS the state gains important economic and cultural benefits from this bilateral                                 
07 agreement because more frequent travel opportunities encourage the development and                                      
08 maintenance of linkages between institutions, governments, and other entities in the Russian                            
09 Far East and the University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University, which provide training                             
10 and technical assistance to entities in the Russian Far East to assist in the transition to a                           
11 market-based economy; and                                                                                               
12  WHEREAS the state has established a Memorandum of Cooperation with the                                               
13 Khabarovsk and Sakhalin Dumas and has a sister state agreement with Khabarovsk Territory,                               
14 and the Municipality of Anchorage has a Sister City agreement with the city of Magadan to                               
15 provide economic and government advice for transition to a market-based economy and has                                 
16 developed strong financial connections with Magadan, Khabarovsk, Yakutsk, Yuzhno-                                       
17 Sakhalinsk, and other cities in the Russian Far East, continuation of which requires direct air                         
18 service;                                                                                                                
19  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly urges the United States                                    
20 Department of Transportation to negotiate for renewal of the bilateral agreement to retain the                          
21 mandatory stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, for transpacific flights between the Russian Far                               
22 East and the United States of America.                                                                                  
23  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Madeleine Albright, U.S.                                    
24 Secretary of State; the Honorable Rodney E. Slater, U.S. Secretary of Transportation; Joan W.                           
25 Bauerlein, Director of International Aviation; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the                                 
26 Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.                                             
27 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.