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Canada-Russia Bilateral Relations
Canada maintains a policy of close engagement
with Russia at all levels. Political,
economic and cultural relations between our two countries are increasingly
diversified and productive. Partnership
with Russia has particular importance
given our shared interests in the Arctic and northern environment and our
complementary strengths in natural resource industries. The Joint Action Plan
for an Enhanced Bilateral Partnership adopted in 2002 sets out guiding
principles for continued expansion of the Canada-Russia bilateral
relationship.
High Level Visits
Meetings between
Canadian and Russian representatives regularly occur at the highest levels.
- Prime Minister
Stephen Harper visited Russia for the St. Petersburg
G8 Summit, July 15-17, 2006, and held a
bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 15.
- Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay attended
the G8 Foreign Ministers Ministerial Meetings in
Moscow on June 29, 2006. Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov visited Canada for bilateral meetings with Minister
MacKay and Canadian counterparts in March 2006.
- Human Resources and Social Development Minister
Diane Finley, Health Minister Tony Clement, Natural Resources Minister
Gary Lunn, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day
visited Russia during the first months of 2006 to
participate in G8 Ministerial Meetings.
Ongoing Political Dialogue
Canada and Russia have a strong political
dialogue on security, counter-terrorism and global issues. In recent years,
consultations between Canada's Deputy Minister for Foreign
Affairs and Russian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs have been a
feature of the bilateral relationship. This dialogue has now been incorporated
into the Global Security Talks, which allow high-level officials to share
concerns and solutions on non-proliferation, regional issues and defence
relations.
Canada's major security undertaking
with Russia is our involvement in the
Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass
Destruction. This program was launched at the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis to
strengthen global security by dealing with the dismantlement of nuclear
submarines, the disposition of fissile materials, the destruction of chemical
weapons and the employment of former weapons scientists, initially
in Russia.
Canada is a leading architect and supporter of
the Global Partnership with a commitment of up to $1 billion over
10 years.
Bilateral
Exchanges at all Levels
Parliamentary
exchanges and visits between
Canada and Russia have expanded, as has
cooperation in the fields of sustainable development, federalism and the arts.
Canadian provinces, municipalities, universities and other organizations have
established a dense and growing network of contacts with their Russian
counterparts, facilitating partnerships in the commercial, cultural and
academic spheres. A bilateral agreement to promote cooperation between Canadian
provinces and territories and their Russian counterparts was signed during
President Putin's visit to Canada in December 2000.
Trade
and Investment
Growing
domestic demand combined with vast natural resource wealth have
made Russia a prime destination for the
export of Canadian goods and services and for new Canadian foreign direct
investment. The prospect of WTO accession further
increases Russia’s attractiveness as a
long-term trade and investment partner for Canada.
Canadian exports to Russia rose 35% in 2005 to $562 million,
from $415 million in 2004 and $334 million in 2003. The largest export
categories included heavy machinery for the natural resource and construction
sectors, transportation equipment, agri-food products and electrical equipment.
To help facilitate
closer economic ties between Canada and Russia, the governments of both
countries participate in the Canada-Russia Intergovernmental Economic
Commission (IEC), co-chaired by Canada’s Minister of International
Trade and by Russia’s Minister of Agriculture.
Additionally, to
foster direct business-to-business dialogue, the Canada-Russia Business Council
(CRBC) was established in 2004 by the
Canada Eurasia Russia
Business
Association (CERBA) and its partner, the
Russian Union of
Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs (RSPP).
Northern Cooperation
Canada and Russia are both major Arctic states.
Active bilateral cooperation in this area began more than 35 years ago.
Through the
Arctic and North Working Group
of the Canada-Russia IEC, both countries will work together to develop a
forward-looking agenda on northern cooperation, and an annual progress report
to foreign ministers on northern bilateral
relations. Russia is the chair of the
Arctic
Council for the 2004-2006 period.
The Canadian International
Development Agency's Russia Program, established in 1991 and initially managed
by Foreign Affairs Canada, is a concrete demonstration
of Canada's long term commitment to
assist the process of reform and transition in
Russia. The overall goal of the Russia
Program is to support the establishment of a stable, prosperous and
democratic Russia with a well-developed market
economy and efficient, responsive institutions. To
date, Canada has committed over $300
million to more than 250 technical cooperation projects.
The Russia bilateral budget of some $15 million
for the fiscal year 2005/2006 covers 22 operational projects.
Since 2002, the
Technical Cooperation (TC) Program has been undergoing a transformation in its
work, moving from a mostly responsive approach to a more pro-active one. The
Program highlights support to areas such as public sector reform, federalism,
rule of law, corporate governance, WTO accession, and health sector management
reform. It also gives special
consideration to northern and environmental management, and to the enhancement
of the role of women in planning and decision-making.
The humanitarian aid
component of the TC Program focuses mainly on ways to assist vulnerable groups,
especially those persons displaced by the armed conflict
in Chechnya. To address the need in Chechnya, the TC Program has
contributed more than $12.75 million since 1999 through the consolidated
appeals of the United Nations and the International Committee of the
Red Cross.
Cultural Exchanges
In 2004,
the State Hermitage Museum in
St. Petersburg hosted works by Tom Thomson,
the first exhibition devoted to a Canadian artist at the Hermitage. This
unprecedented event resulted from collaboration between the National Gallery of
Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the State Hermitage Museum Foundation of
Canada Inc.
The
Hermitage hopes to repeat the success of the Thomson exhibition with a major
Jean-Paul Riopelle exhibit from June 16 to September 17, 2006.
Canadian
film makers have won awards at Russian film festivals over the last few years.
In February and March 2005, the first edition of ‘Spirit of Fire’ - an international
film festival in Khanty-Mansiysk, Western Siberia - had a special Canadian
focus, with twelve Canadian films presented. In the fall of 2005, a Canadian animation
festival toured Moscow, Nizhni Novgorod, Beslan, Vladikavkaz
and St. Petersburg, and was introduced by animated film
director Jacques Drouin.
A special feature on Canadian literature will be
launched by Inostrannaya
Literatura (Foreign Literature), a monthly literary magazine, at the Non/Fiction
book fair in November 2006. This will be the first Canadian literature anthology to be
published in Russia. A delegation of Canadian literary critics, publishers and
authors will visit Moscow to participate in Non/Fiction and introduce the special
edition.
Canadian cultural superstar Robert Lepage participated in a press conference in October
2006 in Moscow to introduce the Chekhov Theatre Festival programming for 2007. Canadian
shows - including four productions by Robert Lepage, performances by Compagnie
Marie Chouinard, Cirque Eloize and many others - will run in
Moscow from May to July 2007.
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