19 December 2016 – Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos D. Sorreta met with Deputy Minister Alexander Tsybulskiy of the Department of Inter-regional and Cross-border Cooperation of the Ministry of Economic Development on December 15 to discuss main issues for the landmark Philippines-Russia Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC) scheduled for early 2017.

The JCTEC is an inter-governmental body tasked with plotting the direction of trade and investments cooperation between the two countries. Deputy Minister Tsybulskiy has been appointed as the Co-chair for the Russian side. The Philippine Co-chair is Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo.

During the meeting, the Russian side emphasized the importance it places on the JCTEC and called it the “cornerstone of our enhanced cooperation”. Mr. Tsybulskiy added that he will be joined by executives from Russia’s largest corporations such as Russian Railways (transportation), Norilsk Nickel (mining) and Rosatom (energy) when he visits the country in January to meet with Undersecretary Rodolfo.

Ambassador Sorreta was pleased to note that Russian priorities for the joint commission matches the Philippines’ and assured Mr. Tsybulskiy that relevant Philippine agencies and private corporations will be prepared to work with their Russian counterparts. END