Lima, Nov. 3, 2006.- The Andean Community General Secretariat’s Director General of Trade Policy, Cristian Espinosa Cañizares, and the Director for Latin America of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Alexander Dogadin, were in agreement on the need to reactivate the CAN-Russian Federation Political Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism created in May 2001.

They pointed out that one way to boost the mechanism would be to restart the meetings envisaged in the Protocol for the establishment of that mechanism.  An article of that Protocol stipulates that meetings at the Foreign Minister level will be held at least once every two years, with the venue alternating between Andean Community Member Countries and the Russian Federation.  

Director General Cristian Espinosa committed himself to consult Bolivia, currently serving as the CAN President Pro Tempore, about the possibility of holding that meeting within the next few months.  The Russian Ambassador, for his part, expressed his agreement with that proposal and that the meeting take place in an Andean country because the last meeting was held in Russia. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry Director for Latin America visited the CAN General Secretariat on Thursday and met there with high-level representatives of that organization.  His retinue included Vladimir Koptve, Counselor in the Latin American section of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation and Minister-Counselor Vadim Temnikov and Counselor Sergio Marchuk, from the Russian Federation’s Embassy in Peru. 

It should be added here that the First Meeting of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism was held in Moscow in May 2004, at which time the CAN expressed its interest in developing ties with the Russian Federation in areas such as the fight against terrorism, the global drug problem, illegal trafficking in light weapons and small arms, corruption and environmental conservation, among others.