Schwarzenegger, Medvedev exchange tweets in Moscow

When California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in Moscow this weekend for a visit aimed at promoting Russia’s high-tech industry, he promptly exchanged Tweets with President Dmitry Medvedev.

Schwarzenegger is leading a delegation of leading technology executives which will Monday hold talks with Medvedev and visit Skolkovo outside Moscow, the site of a planned Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley.

Medvedev has championed the plan to develop a flourishing high-tech industry in Russia similar to California to wean the economy off its dependence on oil and gas reserves.

“Just landed in Moscow. Beautiful day. Can’t wait to see Pres Medvedev,” Schwarzenegger wrote on his official Twitter page after arriving in the Russian capital.

“@Schwarzenegger, welcome to Moscow. Looking forward to meeting you and your delegation at @skolkovo,” Medvedev responded in his message on the microblogging site.

The tech-savvy Medvedev was inspired by his visit to California earlier this year to start his Twitter account on which he raved about the atmosphere in Silicon Valley.

“Russia’s commitment to creating its own high-tech hub will not only benefit Russia’s people and economy, but also California’s,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement released by his office.

The Austrian-born actor and ex-bodybuilder has already had some exposure to Russian culture.

He played Russian policeman Ivan Danko sent on a mission to the United States in the 1988 thriller “Red Heat”, adopting a thick Russian accent and even mustering some comprehensible words of the original language.

Schwarzenegger’s delegation includes figures like former Intel chairman Craig Barrett and leading executives from companies like Google, Microsoft and Oracle. – AFP