Prime Minister today held discussions with Deputy Prime Minister Žukov of the Russian Federation

The working meeting took place on the occasion of the 5th session of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Industrial and Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation, chaired for the Czech part by Minister for Trade and Industry Vladimír Tošovský.

In the introduction to the talks both representatives provided information on the state of their economies during the current economic crisis. They expressed bilateral interest not only in expanding bilateral trade in the sense of goods exchange, but in particular in supporting investment and cooperation in scientific and technical areas during 2009 and 2010.

They also discussed energy and security of supply. In this regard Prime Minister Jan Fischer mentioned the critical need for transparency, fair dealing and the principle of pragmatism in bilateral relations. Both parties confirmed their interest in continuing to cooperate on new energy projects, for example in the supply of raw materials, in the nuclear field and on alternative energy sources.

The value of bilateral trade in 2008 was 13.1 bn USD.

Roman Prorok, Czech Government Spokesman