NEWS RELEASES
CANADA SIGNS AGREEMENTS WITH RUSSIAN FEDERATION
November 25, 2002 (10:20 a.m. EST) No. 156
CANADA SIGNS AGREEMENTS WITH RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham today announced the conclusion of two agreements that will see Canada assist the
Russian Federation in dealing with the remnants of the Cold War. Both agreements were signed during Minister Graham's
working visit to Moscow.
"Over the past two years, Canada and the Russian Federation have attained a new level in our bilateral relations," said
Minister Graham. "The agreements signed today represent our increasing efforts to work together to improve global
security."
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Canada-Russian Federation Cooperation in the Field of the Peaceful Use
of Nuclear Energy will help facilitate current and future commercial activities in the nuclear sector, which will be of mutual
benefit. The MOU complements the existing Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which provides the overall framework for
cooperation in nuclear matters. Russia's Minister of Atomic Energy, Alexander Rumyantsev, signed the MOU on behalf of
the Russian Federation.
The Canada-Russian Federation Agreement on Chemical Weapons Destruction will provide $5 million to aid Russia in
destroying its stockpile of chemical weapons. The Canadian contribution will be directed toward the construction of the
Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility in the town of Shchuch'ye, in the Kurganskaya Oblast. Dr. Zinoviy Pak of
the Russian Munitions Agency signed the agreement on behalf of the Russian Federation.
These two agreements will complement the important work that Canada has been spearheading in the G8 with respect to
the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.
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A backgrounder is attached.
For further information media representatives may contact:
Isabelle Savard
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Backgrounder
NEW AGREEMENTS BETWEEN CANADA AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Canada-Russian Federation Cooperation in the Field of the
Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy will help facilitate current and future commercial activities in the nuclear sector, which
will be of mutual benefit. The MOU complements the existing Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which provides the overall
framework for cooperation in nuclear matters.
This MOU is a follow-up to the MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy, signed in April
1996, which expired at the end of 2001.
Under the current MOU, Canada and Russia will consider it a priority to develop cooperation in dry spent fuel storage,
desalination technology, accident prevention planning measures, advanced reactor technology development, and
radioisotope production for medical applications, among other areas.
The MOU represents the shared commitment by Russia and Canada on the use of nuclear power as a safe and cost-effective
source of energy that can make a significant contribution to a sustainable energy supply mix for those countries that decide
to use it. It is also a reflection of both countries' commitment to the provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
This MOU will help facilitate mutually beneficial economic ventures involving Canadian and Russian industries in areas
such as medicine, agriculture, radioisotope production and nuclear power generation, provided that such cooperation is only
for peaceful, non-explosive purposes.
The Canada-Russian Federation Agreement on Chemical Weapons Destruction provides $5 million to assist Russia in
carrying out its program related to the destruction of its stockpile of chemical weapons. Russia is obligated to destroy its
stockpile under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The general purpose of the Agreement is to aid Russia to completely and expeditiously destroy its Soviet Union-era
inventory of deadly chemical weapons and toxic agents, all of them potential weapons of choice for terrorist groups.
This Agreement was negotiated following the February 14, 2002, announcement in Moscow by Prime Minister Jean
Chrétien that Canada would provide aid to the Russian Federation in destroying its stockpile of chemical weapons.
The Canadian contribution will be directed toward the construction of the Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility
in the town of Shchuch'ye, Kurganskaya Oblast. Shchuch'ye is one of three destruction facilities currently being built in the
Russian Federation. When operational, it will be the sole facility in Russia destroying all chemical weapons containing the
most toxic nerve agents, including sarin and VX.
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