Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev praised on Monday the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, which will host the APEC summit in September, saying it looked like San Francisco, but with “better” people.
Medvedev who came to Vladivostok to inspect facilities being built for the summit, praised the city’s new highways and bridges, which he said reminded him of San Francisco.
“Vladivostok is probably better than San Francisco, but nevertheless there are similarities that come into mind because there is also an ocean, suspension bridges and the similar terrain,” Medvedev said, adding that “our people are definitely better.”
Medevedev’s comment echoed a statement from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who compared San Francisco with Vladivostok after his visit to California in 1959.
The 2012 APEC summit that will be held in the Far Eastern city in September 8-9 will cost Russia about 600 billion rubles ($18.5 billion) spent on building over 50 facilities and rebuilding public utility networks.
