    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 27, 2003]
    [Pages 1206-1207]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the Russian
    Federation
    September 27, 2003

        President George W. Bush and President Vladimir V. Putin held productive discussions at Camp David, Maryland,
    on September 26 and 27, 2003. Building on the Joint Declaration on the
    New Strategic Relationship of May 24, 2002, and other joint documents,
    they focused on practical ways to broaden and deepen cooperation and
    partnership between the United States and Russia, overcoming obstacles
    and fulfilling their shared vision of a new strategic relationship to
    deal with the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century.
        The Presidents discussed a broad range of
    bilateral and international issues, including counter-terrorism;
    preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; the situations
    in the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea; strengthening the NATO-
    Russia relationship; progress in creating conditions to expand economic
    and commercial relations; cooperation in high technology, housing, and
    health; and people-to-people contacts, as well as other questions of
    mutual interest.
        The Presidents agreed on next steps in a
    number of areas to strengthen the existing U.S.-Russia partnership. They
    issued specific instructions to their respective governments identifying
    tasks to be undertaken by the appropriate agencies and specifying
    timelines for doing so, and they underscored their shared intention to
    monitor fulfillment of these tasks. In particular, they identified key
    areas where progress might

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    be made in the near term, including, among other issues:
         implementing effectively the Strategic Offensive Reductions
                Treaty (Treaty of Moscow), and continuing efforts to
                increase transparency and build confidence on strategic
                issues;
         building cooperation between the American and Russian
                military establishments, as critical to joint efforts in
                areas such as counter-terrorism, missile defense, and
                peacekeeping;
         strengthening commercial and economic relations through
                further cooperation in enhancing global energy security,
                eliminating barriers to trade and investment, promoting
                high-technology cooperation, and protecting intellectual
                property rights;
         strengthening consultation and cooperation in dealing with
                regional problems; and
         deepening cooperation in the battle against HIV/AIDs, which
                will benefit the United States and Russia, and contribute to
                the global effort against this modern plague.
        The Presidents agreed to remain in close
    contact to ensure progress across the broad agenda that they have
    defined.

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