New U.S.-Russia Presidential Commission Includes Energy, Environment

"We resolved to reset U.S.-Russian relations, so that we can cooperate more effectively in areas of common interest," said President Obama during a joint news conference at the Kremlin last night.

President Barack Obama, left, and President Dimitry Medvedev hold a joint news conference at the Kremlin. (Photo courtesy Office of President Medvedev)

President Dimitry Medvedev said, "We also came to the conclusion that Russian-American relations and the level achieved today does not correspond to their potential, to the other possibilities of our countries. And the important thing is that the level that we have today does not correspond to the need of the current age, and without active development of our relations on the foreign affairs agenda, on scientific, trade, educational, relations will not be able to build the road to the 21st century."

To serve as a new foundation for cooperation, the two presidents created a U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission to coordinate cooperation between various United States and Russian agencies in all priority areas.

President Medvedev said, "We decided to create a presidential commission on cooperation, which will be coordinating relations among various agencies of the United States and the Russian Federation, respectively, in all priority areas, including economic and military areas."

"Too often, the United States and Russia only communicate on a narrow range of issues, or let old habits within our bureaucracy stand in the way of progress," said President Obama. "And that's why this commission will include working groups on development and the economy; energy and the environment; nuclear energy and security; arms control and international security; defense, foreign policy and counterterrorism; preventing and handling emergencies; civil society; science and technology; space; health; education; and culture."

The commission will be coordinated by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov. Secretary Clinton will travel to Russia this fall to move this effort forward.

The new commission's Energy and Environment Working Group will be headed by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

As an example of this new level of cooperation that is already in progress, President Obama pointed to the new Memorandum of Understanding on health that he and his Russian counterpart signed today.

"We've learned - most recently with the H1N1 virus - that a disease that emerges anywhere can pose a risk to people everywhere," Obama said. "That's why our Department of Health and Human Services will cooperate with its Russian counterparts to combat infectious, chronic, and non-communicable diseases, while promoting prevention and global health."

The new commission's Working Group on Health will be headed by Russian Health Minister Tatyana Golikova and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission Working Groups:

• Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Security: Sergei V. Kiriyenko, Head of Rosatom, and Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary of Energy


• Arms Control and International Security: Sergei A. Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs


• Foreign Policy and Fighting Terrorism: Sergei A. Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and William Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs


• Drug Trafficking: Viktor P. Ivanov, Director, Federal Drug Enforcement Service, and R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy


• Business Development and Economic Relations: Elvira Nabiullina, Minister of Economic Development, Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce


• Energy and Environment: Sergei I. Shmatko, Minister of Energy, and Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy


• Agriculture: Yelena B. Skrynnik, Minister of Agriculture, and Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture


• Science and Technologies: Andrei A. Fursenko, Minister of Education and Science, and John Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy


• Space Cooperation: Anatoly N. Perminov, Head of Roskosmos, and Administrator, NASA


• Health: Tatyana A. Golikova, Minister of Health, and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services


• Cooperation in Prevention and Handling of Emergency Situations: Sergey K. Shoygu, Head of Emergency Situations Ministry, and Craig Fugate, Administrator, FEMA


• Civil Society: Vladislav Surkov, First Deputy Chief of Staff, Presidential Administration, and Michael McFaul, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia, National Security Council


• Educational and Cultural Exchanges: Mikhail E. Shvydkoy, Special Presidential Representative for International Culture Cooperation, and Judith McHale, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

Copyright Environment News Service, ENS, 2009. All rights reserved.