December 10, 2001
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov today issued a joint statement following their meeting in Ottawa. The Russian Prime Minister is on an official visit to Canada from December 9 to 11, 2001.

"Canada and Russia are committed to strengthening our bilateral co-operation," said Prime Minister Chrétien. "We will continue to place special emphasis on enhancing trade and economic ties, as well as our co-operation in the Arctic and the North. We expect that the Team Canada mission in February 2002 will be an important part of these efforts."

In their joint statement, the leaders also welcomed the Bonn agreement on an Interim Administration for Afghanistan, as well as the growing co-operation in the international campaign against terrorism. They outlined a common interest in widening co-operation on strategic stability and disarmament issues. They also condemned recent terrorist attacks in the Middle East, calling on all parties to end the cycle of violence and return to the negotiating table.

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PMO Press Office (613) 957-5555

The Prime Minister of Canada and the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation expressed confidence that the forthcoming Team Canada mission to Russia led by Prime Minister Chrétien will give a new impulse to bilateral cooperation in all areas. They placed special emphasis on achieving early progress in all areas of bilateral cooperation, in particular trade and economic ties and cooperation in the Arctic and North. In this context, they welcomed the proposal put forward by the Co-Chairmen of the Canada-Russia Intergovernmental Economic Commission to prepare a Joint Plan of Action by the time of the Team Canada visit. The plan could become a catalyst for bilateral relations over a longer period and coordinate the efforts of the two governments in the political, economic and other spheres.

Canada and Russia are confidently building relations of partnership grounded in their commitment to the values of democracy, a free market and the supremacy of law. They reaffirmed their common commitment to the rules-based multilateral system for dealing with challenges to international peace and security, including issues of non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. The two sides again noted the closeness of the two countries' approaches to a wide range of international and regional issues, which creates a good basis for strengthening strategic stability and security in the world, including in Asia-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions. Canada and Russia are resolved jointly with other civilized countries to unite their efforts to combat global threats in the 21st century, above all terrorism, the horrors of which were plainly demonstrated in the acts of September 11 in the United States.

These talks confirmed a common interest in widening cooperation both bilaterally and under UN, G-8 and other international auspices on such key issues as the strengthening of strategic stability, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and nuclear, biological and chemical disarmament. Canada and Russia renewed their commitment to continue bilateral and multilateral efforts to prevent the weaponization of space.

Canada and Russia welcome the agreement developed in Bonn among the Afghan parties on an Interim Administration and look forward to the full implementation of its provisions. Canada and Russia join in urging all regional countries to support the new Afghan authorities as they seek to build new governance, security and economic institutions that are inclusive, and respect the rule of law and human rights. For their part, Canada and Russia, together with other countries of the international community, will continue their support for the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, as well as for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Both sides condemned strongly the recent terrorist violence in Israel and called on all parties to end the cycle of violence and work towards a peaceful settlement. Both sides emphasized that only a negotiated solution can solve conclusively the underlying security problems in the Middle East.

On the broader challenge of eliminating the threat of terrorism, the two sides welcomed the growing and ever closer cooperation now underway between the diplomatic, security and intelligence, and law enforcement agencies of both countries on issues related to terrorist networks and their financing, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and organized crime.

December 10, 2001