    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 24, 2002]
    [Pages 869-873]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Joint Declaration by President George W. Bush and President Vladimir V.
    Putin on the New Strategic Relationship
    Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation
    May 24, 2002

        The United States of America and the Russian Federation,
        Recalling the accomplishments at the Ljubljana, Genoa, Shanghai, and
    Washington/Crawford Summits and the new spirit of cooperation already
    achieved;
        Building on the November 13, 2001 Joint Statement on a New
    Relationship Between the United States and Russia, having embarked upon
    the path of new relations for the twenty-first century, and committed to
    developing a relationship based on friendship, cooperation, common
    values, trust, openness, and predictability;
        Reaffirming our belief that new global challenges and threats
    require a qualitatively new foundation for our relationship;
        Determined to work together, with other nations and with
    international organizations, to respond to these new challenges and
    threats, and thus contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and free world
    and to strengthening strategic security;
        Declare as follows:

    A Foundation for Cooperation

        We are achieving a new strategic relationship. The era in which the
    United States and Russia saw each other as an enemy or strategic threat
    has ended. We are partners and we will cooperate to advance stability,
    security, and economic integration, and to jointly counter global
    challenges and to help resolve regional conflicts.
        To advance these objectives the United States and Russia will
    continue an intensive dialogue on pressing international and regional
    problems, both on a bilateral basis and in international fora, including
    in the UN Security Council, the G-8, and the OSCE. Where we have
    differences, we will work to resolve them in a spirit of mutual respect.
        We will respect the essential values of democracy, human rights,
    free speech and free media, tolerance, the rule of law, and economic
    opportunity.
        We recognize that the security, prosperity, and future hopes of our
    peoples rest on a benign security environment, the advancement of
    political and economic freedoms, and international cooperation.
        The further development of U.S.-Russian relations and the
    strengthening of mutual understanding and trust will also rest on a
    growing network of ties between our societies and peoples. We will
    support growing economic interaction between the business communities of
    our two countries and people-to-people and cultural contacts and
    exchanges.

    Political Cooperation

        The United States and Russia are already acting as partners and
    friends in meeting the new challenges of the 21st century; affirming our
    Joint Statement of October 21, 2001, our countries are already allied in
    the global struggle against international terrorism.
        The United States and Russia will continue to cooperate to support
    the Afghan people's efforts to transform Afghanistan into a stable,
    viable nation at peace with itself and its neighbors. Our cooperation,
    bilaterally and through the United Nations, the ``Six-Plus-Two''
    diplomatic process, and in other multilateral fora, has proved important
    to our success so far in ridding Afghanistan of the Taliban and al-
    Qaida.

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        In Central Asia and the South Caucasus, we recognize our common
    interest in promoting the stability, sovereignty, and territorial
    integrity of all the nations of this region. The United States and
    Russia reject the failed model of ``Great Power'' rivalry that can only
    increase the potential for conflict in those regions. We will support
    economic and political development and respect for human rights while we
    broaden our humanitarian cooperation and cooperation on counterterrorism
    and counternarcotics.
        The United States and Russia will cooperate to resolve regional
    conflicts, including those in Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and the
    Transnistrian issue in Moldova. We strongly encourage the Presidents of
    Azerbaijan and Armenia to exhibit flexibility and a constructive approach to
    resolving the conflict concerning Nagorno-Karabakh. As two of the Co-
    Chairmen of the OSCE's Minsk Group, the United States and Russia stand
    ready to assist in these efforts.
        On November 13, 2001, we pledged to work together to develop a new
    relationship between NATO and Russia that reflects the new strategic
    reality in the Euro-Atlantic region. We stressed that the members of
    NATO and Russia are increasingly allied against terrorism, regional
    instability, and other contemporary threats. We therefore welcome the
    inauguration at the May 28, 2002 NATO-Russia summit in Rome of a new
    NATO-Russia Council, whose members, acting in their national capacities
    and in a manner consistent with their respective collective commitments
    and obligations, will identify common approaches, take joint decisions,
    and bear equal responsibility, individually and jointly, for their
    implementation. In this context, they will observe in good faith their
    obligations under international law, including the UN Charter,
    provisions and principles contained in the Helsinki Final Act and the
    OSCE Charter for European Security. In the framework of the NATO-Russia
    Council, NATO member states and Russia will work as equal partners in
    areas of common interest. They aim to stand together against common
    threats and risks to their security.
        As co-sponsors of the Middle East peace process, the United States
    and Russia will continue to exert joint and parallel efforts, including
    in the framework of the ``Quartet,'' to overcome the current crisis in
    the Middle East, to restart negotiations, and to encourage a negotiated
    settlement. In the Balkans, we will promote democracy, ethnic tolerance,
    self-sustaining peace, and long-term stability, based on respect for the
    sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states in the region and
    United Nations Security Council resolutions. The United States and
    Russia will continue their constructive dialogue on Iraq and welcome the
    continuation of special bilateral discussions that opened the way for UN
    Security Council adoption of the Goods Review List.
        Recalling our Joint Statement of November 13, 2001 on
    counternarcotics cooperation, we note that illegal drug trafficking
    poses a threat to our peoples and to international security, and
    represents a substantial source of financial support for international
    terrorism. We are committed to intensifying cooperation against this
    threat, which will bolster both the security and health of the citizens
    of our countries.
        The United States and Russia remain committed to intensifying
    cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime. In this
    regard, we welcome the entry into force of the Treaty on Mutual Legal
    Assistance in Criminal Matters on January 31, 2002.

    Economic Cooperation

        The United States and Russia believe that successful national
    development in the 21st century demands respect for the discipline and
    practices of the free market. As we stated on November 13, 2001, an open
    market economy, the freedom of economic choice, and an open democratic
    society are the most effective means to provide

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    for the welfare of the citizens of our countries.
        The United States and Russia will endeavor to make use of the
    potential of world trade to expand the economic ties between the two
    countries, and to further integrate Russia into the world economy as a
    leading participant, with full rights and responsibilities, consistent
    with the rule of law, in the world economic system. In this connection,
    the sides give high priority to Russia's accession to the World Trade
    Organization on standard terms.
        Success in our bilateral economic and trade relations demands that
    we move beyond the limitations of the past. We stress the importance and
    desirability of graduating Russia from the emigration provisions of the
    U.S. Trade Act of 1974, also known as the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. We
    note that the Department of Commerce, based on its ongoing thorough and
    deliberative inquiry, expects to make its final decision no later than
    June 14, 2002 on whether Russia should be treated as a market economy
    under the provisions of U.S. trade law. The sides will take further
    practical steps to eliminate obstacles and barriers, including as
    appropriate in the legislative area, to strengthen economic cooperation.
        We have established a new dynamic in our economic relations and
    between our business communities, aimed at advancing trade and
    investment opportunities while resolving disputes, where they occur,
    constructively and transparently.
        The United States and Russia acknowledge the great potential for
    expanding bilateral trade and investment, which would bring significant
    benefits to both of our economies. Welcoming the recommendations of the
    Russian-American Business Dialogue, we are committed to working with the
    private sectors of our countries to realize the full potential of our
    economic interaction. We also welcome the opportunity to intensify
    cooperation in energy exploration and development, especially in oil and
    gas, including in the Caspian region.

    Strengthening People-to-People Contacts

        The greatest strength of our societies is the creative energy of our
    citizens. We welcome the dramatic expansion of contacts between
    Americans and Russians in the past ten years in many areas, including
    joint efforts to resolve common problems in education, health, the
    sciences, and environment, as well as through tourism, sister-city
    relationships, and other people-to-people contacts. We pledge to
    continue supporting these efforts, which help broaden and deepen good
    relations between our two countries.
        Battling the scourge of HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases, ending
    family violence, protecting the environment, and defending the rights of
    women are areas where U.S. and Russian institutions, and especially non-
    governmental organizations, can successfully expand their cooperation.

    Preventing the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Non-Proliferation
    and International Terrorism

        The United States and Russia will intensify joint efforts to
    confront the new global challenges of the twenty-first century,
    including combating the closely linked threats of international
    terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their
    means of delivery. We believe that international terrorism represents a
    particular danger to international stability as shown once more by the
    tragic events of September 11, 2001. It is imperative that all nations
    of the world cooperate to combat this threat decisively. Toward this
    end, the United States and Russia reaffirm our commitment to work
    together bilaterally and multilaterally.
        The United States and Russia recognize the profound importance of
    preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and missiles. The
    specter that such weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists and

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    those who support them illustrates the priority all nations must give to
    combating proliferation.
        To that end, we will work closely together, including through
    cooperative programs, to ensure the security of weapons of mass
    destruction and missile technologies, information, expertise, and
    material. We will also continue cooperative threat reduction programs
    and expand efforts to reduce weapons-usable fissile material. In that
    regard, we will establish joint experts groups to investigate means of
    increasing the amount of weapons-usable fissile material to be
    eliminated, and to recommend collaborative research and development
    efforts on advanced, proliferation-resistant nuclear reactor and fuel
    cycle technologies. We also intend to intensify our cooperation
    concerning destruction of chemical weapons.
        The United States and Russia will also seek broad international
    support for a strategy of proactive non-proliferation, including by
    implementing and bolstering the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
    Nuclear Weapons and the conventions on the prohibition of chemical and
    biological weapons. The United States and Russia call on all countries
    to strengthen and strictly enforce export controls, interdict illegal
    transfers, prosecute violators, and tighten border controls to prevent
    and protect against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

    Missile Defense, Further Strategic Offensive Reductions, New
    Consultative Mechanism on Strategic Security

        The United States and Russia proceed from the Joint Statements by
    the President of the United States of America and the President of the
    Russian Federation on Strategic Issues of July 22, 2001 in Genoa and on
    a New Relationship Between the United States and Russia of November 13,
    2001 in Washington.
        The United States and Russia are taking steps to reflect, in the
    military field, the changed nature of the strategic relationship between
    them.The United States and Russia acknowledge that today's security
    environment is fundamentally different than during the Cold War.
        In this connection, the United States and Russia have agreed to
    implement a number of steps aimed at strengthening confidence and
    increasing transparency in the area of missile defense, including the
    exchange of information on missile defense programs and tests in this
    area, reciprocal visits to observe missile defense tests, and
    observation aimed at familiarization with missile defense systems. They
    also intend to take the steps necessary to bring a joint center for the
    exchange of data from early warning systems into operation.
        The United States and Russia have also agreed to study possible
    areas for missile defense cooperation, including the expansion of joint
    exercises related to missile defense, and the exploration of potential
    programs for the joint research and development of missile defense
    technologies, bearing in mind the importance of the mutual protection of
    classified information and the safeguarding of intellectual property
    rights.
        The United States and Russia will, within the framework of the NATO-
    Russia Council, explore opportunities for intensified practical
    cooperation on missile defense for Europe.
        The United States and Russia declare their intention to carry out
    strategic offensive reductions to the lowest possible levels consistent
    with their national security requirements and alliance obligations, and
    reflecting the new nature of their strategic relations.
        A major step in this direction is the conclusion of the Treaty
    Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on
    Strategic Offensive Reductions.
        In this connection, both sides proceed on the basis that the Treaty
    Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist
    Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms of
    July 31, 1991, remains in force

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    in accordance with its terms and that its provisions will provide the
    foundation for providing confidence, transparency, and predictability in
    further strategic offensive reductions, along with other supplementary
    measures, including transparency measures, to be agreed.
        The United States and Russia agree that a new strategic relationship
    between the two countries, based on the principles of mutual security,
    trust, openness, cooperation, and predictability requires substantive
    consultation across a broad range of international security issues. To
    that end we have decided to:

         establish a Consultative Group for Strategic Security to be
                chaired by Foreign Ministers and Defense Ministers with the
                participation of other senior officials. This group will be
                the principal mechanism through which the sides strengthen
                mutual confidence, expand transparency, share information
                and plans, and discuss strategic issues of mutual interest;
                and
         seek ways to expand and regularize contacts between our two
                countries' Defense Ministries and Foreign Ministries, and
                our intelligence agencies.

     The President of the                    The President of the
     United States of America:               Russian Federation:
      George W. Bush                          Vladimir V. Putin

     Moscow

     May 24, 2002.

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint declaration.