U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Chairman of the Government of theRussian Federation Viktor Chernomyrdin co-chair the U.S.-Russian JointCommission on Economic and Technological Cooperation. The Commissionprovides a framework for promoting a partnership between the UnitedStates and Russia based on the principles enumerated in the Vancouverand Moscow Summit declarations. These include a shared commitment todemocracy and human rights; a market economy and the rule of law; andinternational peace and stability. The Commission's work is an effortto realize concrete benefits from this partnership.

Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin decided to create the Gore-ChernomyrdinCommission at the Vancouver Summit in April 1993. The Commission'soriginal mandate was to enhance cooperation in the areas of space,energy, and high technology. Since then, the Commission has expandedits scope to include other areas of U.S.-Russian cooperation, such asbusiness development, defense conversion, health, science, theenvironment, and agriculture. Its eight working Committees are chairedat the cabinet level.

The site of the Commission sessions alternates between Russia and theUnited States. The inaugural session occurred in Washington, D.C., inSeptember 1993. The second session took place in Moscow in December1993, the third session in Washington, D.C. in June 1994, the fourthsession in Moscow in December 1994, the fifth session in Moscow inJune 1995, the sixth session in Washington, D.C. in January 1996, theseventh session in Moscow in July 1996, and the eighth session inWashington, D.C. in February 1997. This ninth session has registeredmajor progress in all areas of the Commission's work.