COLUMBIA - Richard Miles, former United States ambassador to Georgia and Azerbaijan, will discuss Russian policy in a public talk Tuesday, Jan. 30, at the University of South Carolina.

Miles' talk, "Russia's Evolving Role in the Caucasus," will take place at 3:30 p.m. in Lumpkin Auditorium, located on the eighth floor of the Moore School of Business. The event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, Miles' talk will provide an understanding of the countries that constitute the Caucasus, the southern Russian region bordered by the Black Sea and Caspian Sea to make the natural border between Europe and Asia. Post-Soviet states located in the region include Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

For more information about Miles' talk and other Walker Institute events, visit the web site: http://www.cas.sc.edu/Iis/ or call 803-777-8180.

Miles is executive director of the Open World Leadership Center. He began his career with the South Carolina Voter Education Project before entering the foreign service in 1967. He held prominent positions in several U.S. Embassy offices in Russia before being tapped as a U.S. ambassador. He served as U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan from 1992 - 93, to Bulgaria from 1999 - 2002 and to Georgia from 2002 - 05. He earned both the U.S. State Department's Meritorious Honor Award and a Presidential Meritorious Service Award. In 2004, Miles was awarded the Robert C. Frasure Award for peaceful conflict resolution by the U.S. State Department