Apple in Talks to Open R&D Facility in Russia's Skolkovo Innovation Centre?

Russian newspaper 'Izvestia' reports that the organisers behind the Skolkovo technology park near Moscow are talking with a number of high-profile companies including Apple, Google and Facebook about locating research and development facilites in the area. Solkovo has already had agreements with Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, Cisco and others. It looks like the project's backers are planning the region becoming Russia's version of Silicon Vally.

Apple officials in Moscow declined to comment on the claims, but Skolkovo executive Roman Romanovsky said that the two sides have expressed interest in negotiating about possibilites. No deal has happened yet but Romanovsky hopes that the talks will eventually lead to an agreement.