First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov spoke to the Russian media on the outcome of his working visit to Canada. He said, among other things:

"Today we ended very intensive and, most importantly, rewarding talks that covered a variety of issues pertaining to Russian-Canadian economic cooperation. We started the discussion at a session of the Canadian-Russian Business Council and the Agricultural Forum for cooperation in animal husbandry, and continued it at meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Minister of International Trade Edward Fast, who co-chairs the Intergovernmental Economic Commission with me, Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Keith Ashfield. We completed this discussion at the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Economic Commission today.

"We have very specifically considered policies to further stimulate bilateral trade as well as joint economic and investment projects. We have drafted a plan for cooperative action in priority areas.

"Our cooperation thus far has been quite rewarding. Bilateral trade reached $2.5 billion in 2010, almost $800 million above the 2009 level. The steady upward trend persisted into the first quarter of 2011, when our bilateral trade surged by another 30% as compared with the first quarter of 2010. Analysts estimate the total Canadian investment in Russian assets at $1.5 billion, and Russian investment in Canada at $7 billion.

"However, our potential for cooperation is far from exhausted. There is room for further expansion of the scope and content of our work, primarily in our partnership directed at modernisation. The Russian nanotechnology corporation RusNano is participating in Canadian venture funds, marking the first serious step along this road.

"Russia is also trying to support Canadian companies' interest in Russia's high-tech hub project, Skolkovo. We saw proof of this successful and mutually beneficial cooperation yesterday during our visit to the Research in Motion office. The joint statement on cooperation in science and technology we signed is bound to promote further cooperation in this area. The results of this cooperation will also provide an incentive for deeper partnership in the traditional areas of Russian-Canadian relations.

"One such key area is agriculture. Considering the steadily growing output of Russian agriculture businesses, farming is a sector in which the demand for Canadian achievements is as high as in trade projects. This is evidenced by the results of yesterday's Russian-Canadian Forum on cooperation in animal husbandry. We have agreed to hold the second such forum in Russia next year.

"Northern and Arctic projects are another important area of our cooperation. Apart from cooperation in international organisations, our plans include building air and sea transport bridges between the two countries' northern regions. This would significantly expand the capacity of the two-way transport service and help realise the unique transit potential of our two countries along the Eurasia-America route.

"Our space cooperation will also help us implement the transport project. We have signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space, which is an important improvement to our bilateral legal framework and will certainly lend forward momentum to joint space projects.

"There are good prospects in energy cooperation, including energy saving and efficiency projects. Today we have confirmed our readiness to draw up a roadmap plan for Russian-Canadian energy cooperation. We are also considering signing a bilateral interdepartmental memorandum of cooperation in energy saving and efficiency and the adoption of alternative energy sources. These documents will also provide an incentive for the development of cooperation in oil and gas production in severe climates, the use of new technology for the generation, transmission and conversion of electrical energy, as well as security and the reliability of large energy systems.

"These and other projects cannot be successfully implemented without interregional cooperation between our two countries. We have discussed such cooperation with Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec, today.

"Canadian companies are participating in the preparation for the Sochi Winter Olympics. I am confident that their extensive experience in infrastructure development, organisation, and sports coaching will make the 2014 Olympic Games even more vibrant, unpredictable, and intriguing. I am referring specifically to the perennial hockey rivalry between Russian and Canadian national teams.

"This is a very incomplete list of the issues that we touched upon in talks with our Canadian partners.

"I am confident that the results we achieved during our cooperative work will serve as a reliable foundation for the further development of trade and economic relations between Russia and Canada and for the implementation of joint projects."

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The following documents were signed in the wake of First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov's working visit to Canada: The Joint Statement of the Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Economic Commission; The Joint Russian-Canadian Statement on Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation; The Memorandum of Understanding on Key Issues of Cooperation between the Russian Aviation Union and the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.