Joint Declaration on New
U.S.-Russia Relationship
The United States of America and the Russian
Federation, ...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.
(...)
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.
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.
(...)
The President of the United States of America George W.
Bush
The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir
Putin
Moscow, 24 May 2002
(www.usinfo.state.gov)