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01 June 2003

U.S., Russia Declare New Strategic Partnership

(Plan to pursue joint missile defense projects, leaders say) (370)
President Bush and President Putin have committed to building a new
strategic partnership between the United States and Russia to "meet
together the challenges of the 21st century."
In a June 1 joint statement issued in St. Petersburg, Russia, where
the leaders met, they said they will boost efforts to fight terrorism
and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Bush and Putin also pledged to advance "concrete" joint missile
defense projects.
Russia was initially opposed to the strategic missile defense system
that is being developed by the United States.
Following is the text of the joint statement:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary (St. Petersburg, Russia)
June 1, 2003
JOINT STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AND PRESIDENT VLADIMIR V.
PUTIN ON THE NEW STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP
On May 24, 2002, we pledged to build a new strategic relationship
between the United States of America and the Russian Federation. We
declared our partnership, and our commitment to work together to
advance stability, security, and prosperity for our peoples, and to
work jointly to counter global challenges and help resolve regional
conflicts. We also declared that where we had differences, we would
work to resolve them in a spirit of mutual respect.
We have met again to reaffirm our Nations' partnership and our
commitment to meet together the challenges of the 21st century.
With the completion of the ratification procedures by the United
States Senate, and the two houses of the Russian Federal Assembly, we
have been able to exchange instruments of ratification for the Moscow
Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions. The Treaty takes effect
immediately. The deep reductions of strategic nuclear warheads that it
codifies are another indication of the transformed relationship
between our two countries.
We will intensify efforts to confront the global threats of terrorism,
and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means
of delivery, that threaten our peoples and freedom-loving peoples
around the world.
In this regard, we declare our intention to advance concrete joint
projects in the area of missile defense which will help deepen
relations between the United States and Russia.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)