The Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Telecommunications of Switzerland have signed an agreement on cooperation in the sectors of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources, Venture Business News reports.

The agreement was reportedly signed at the minister meeting of the council of managers of the International Energy Agency. The Russian side was represented by Anatoly Yanovsky, the deputy minister of energy.

Under the agreement, the parties are to cooperate and jointly realize research and projects in the sectors of energy efficiency, energy saving and use of renewable energy sources. Besides, the countries are to unite efforts in promoting investment projects in the sectors of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources in Russia, Switzerland, as well as third countries by the Russian and Swiss businesses.

Russia and Switzerland are to organize information exchange between universities, technological centers, design bureaus and industrial companies on ecologically friendly technologies and know-how in the sector of using renewable energy sources. The parties are to hold seminars and conferences on the related topics, as well as develop training programs on the topics.

The two countries are to exchange practices of using instruments and mechanisms of state politics in the above-mentioned sectors at all levels of government and municipal power.

On the Swiss side the cooperation is to be coordinated by the Federal Agency of Energy, Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Telecommunications of Swiss Confederation. On the Russian side the coordinator is the federal state budget organization “Russian Energy Agency”.