For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 27, 2003
U.S.-Russian Federation Joint Statement
Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation
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 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.
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