Upon greeting John Sloan, Viktor Zubkov emphasized the stable and favourable trend of Russian-Canadian relations, including frequent summit and interdepartmental contacts as well as those maintained through the Intergovernmental Economic Commission.

The first deputy prime minister pointed out the considerable yet untapped potential of Russian-Canadian economic cooperation. “Over the first nine months of this year, Russian-Canadian trade has amounted to $1.7 billion, which is 28% growth over the same period last year. That’s not bad at all, but we have serious potential,” Viktor Zubkov said.

“The eighth session of our Intergovernmental Commission scheduled for next summer will help exploit this potential,” he continued. “It is the best forum for the discussion of worthwhile business projects.”

Mr Zubkov then named investment cooperation in miming, power efficiency, innovation, agriculture, transportation, and space research as the most promising areas for bilateral interaction.

He also highly appreciated the level of cooperation achieved by Russian and Canadian companies in the organisation and execution of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. “This experience opens up good opportunities for Canadian companies to take part in the design, construction, and renovation of facilities for the 2018 World Cup in Russia,” he said.

Mr Zubkov also mentioned “the existing practice of procrastination and red-tape in the issuance of Canadian visas to Russian citizens.” He claimed that “such circumstances obstruct the intense activity of our business circles.”

Ambassador Sloan replied that Canadians are working seriously on the issue. “The time taken to review visa applications will be substantially reduced, and we will do everything possible under Canadian law for the timely issuance of visas for Russian citizens,” he said.