[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.