[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.