THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release June 17, 1992
FACT SHEET ON THE
CHARTER FOR AMERICAN-RUSSIAN PARTNERSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP
Building on the Camp David Declaration of February 1992, the
Washington Charter signed today by President Bush and President
Yeltsin begins from the new foundation of U.S.-Russian relations
-- democracy -- to provide a solid and enduring basis for
American-Russian partnership. The Charter describes the new
agenda for U.S.-Russian relations:
DEMOCRACY AND PARTNERSHIP
-- The United States fully supports the Russian Federation's
efforts to build a democratic state and society founded on
the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights,
including the rights of minorities.
-- Beginning with mutual trust and respect as the basis for
their relations, the U.S. and Russia do not regard each
other as opponents and are developing relations of
partnership and friendship.
-- The parties reaffirm their respect for the independence,
sovereignty and the existing borders of the CSCE-
participating states, including the new independent states,
and recognize that border changes can be made only by
peaceful and consensual means, in accordance with the rules
of international law and the principles of CSCE.
INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
-- The United States and Russia reiterate their determination
to build a democratic peace, one founded on the twin pillars
of political and economic freedom. They recognize the
critical importance that democracy's success in Russia and
the other former Soviet republics can have on international
peace and security.
-- Consistent with the UN Charter and other treaty obligations,
the parties confirm their commitment to settle disputes
between them by peaceful means and to refrain from the
threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and
political independence of each other.
-- The parties share a vision of a Euro-Atlantic Community from
Vancouver to Vladivostok open to cooperation with all
democratic societies. A prominent role for institutions
like the NACC, NATO, and WEU, along with CSCE contributes
uniquely to the security of this community.
-- Realizing the implications of the conflict in Yugoslavia,
the parties have proposed a series of initiatives to
strengthen European conflict prevention, management, and
settlement mechanisms and to create a credible Euro-Atlantic
peacekeeping capability.
-- The United States and Russia recognize that proliferation is
the new strategic challenge of the post-Cold War world.
Both parties will work towards strengthening and improving
non-proliferation regimes. The U.S. and Russia have
expressed their determination in a separate statement to
cooperate in exploring the potential to create a Ballistic
Missile Early Warning Center and to cooperate in the
development of ballistic missile defense capabilities and
technologies. They will also move rapidly to implement the
START and CFE Treaties and to conclude a treaty on further
strategic arms reductions and a global ban on chemical
weapons.
-- With the potential to build a strategic partnership, the
parties intend to accelerate defense cooperation between
their military establishments. This will include:
intensifying contacts at all levels; expanding activities
that encourage doctrinal and operational openness;
establishing expanded exchange and liaison programs; and
exchanging ideas on fostering proper civil-military
relations in a democratic society. The parties will also
pursue cooperation in peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and
counter-narcotics missions.
ECONOMIC FREEDOM
-- The U.S. and Russia believe that the surest path to Russia's
long-term prosperity and integration into the global economy
is the continuation of the present path of free market
reform.
-- The U.S. recognizes the courageous path of reform the
Russian government has chosen and is determined to continue
its support for reform.
-- Russia intends to speed up privatization and
demonopolization, the introduction of structural and
sectoral reform, and the creation of policies directed at
furthering competition and effective property and contract
rights. Of special importance will be the introduction of
land reform and reforms in the energy sector.
-- The Russian Federation intends to improve its laws in the
fields of taxation, poverty, and contract law and those
relating to intellectual property rights.
-- The parties recognize the critical role the Private sector
will play and intend to encourage mutually beneficial
Russian-American cooperation in trade and investment.
-- The parties intend to lower constraints to trade and
investment and to remove Cold War-era restrictions on
business. The parties will also work to strengthen national
export control systems and prevent proliferation, and to
promote high technology trade and investment while
combatting proliferation. The U.S. and Russia intend to
work together bilaterally and multilaterally, particularly
through the new COCOM Cooperation Forum.
CHARTER FOR
AMERICAN-RUSSIAN
PARTNERSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP
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and June 1992 communiques of the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council, and the April 1992 communique of the Defense Ministers'
Meeting, once again declare that they do not regard each other as
adversaries and are developing relations of partnership and
friendship.
Consistent with the United Nations Charter and other treaty
obligations, the United States of America and the Russian
Federation confirm their commitments to settle disputes between
them by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat or use of
force against the territorial integrity and political
independence of each other.
Beginning on the basis of their shared democratic values, the
United States of America and the Russian Federation will unite in
their efforts toward strengthening international peace and
security, preventing and settling regional conflicts, and solving
global problems.
While working toward a democratic peace, the United States of
America and the Russian Federation realize that the end of the
Cold War has not meant the end of insecurity and conflict-in
Europe. Ethnic tensions, territorial disputes, and international
rivalries already threaten to turn an opportunity for peace into
yet another phase of European turmoil.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation reaffirm
their respect for the independence and sovereignty and the
existing borders of the CSCE-participating states, including the
new independent states, and recognize that border changes can be
made only by peaceful and consensual means, in accordance with
the rules of international law and the principles of CSCE.
Like the other nations of the Euro-Atlantic Community, the United
States of America and the Russian Federation cannot accept
another phase of European instability. They therefore intend to
lend both support and leadership to the effort to spare this
community further tragedies like that which has befallen the
peoples of Yugoslavia. The need is clear: International means
of collective engagement must be devised and strengthened to help
prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes, to help
resolve disputes before they become violent, to help mediate an
end to conflicts wherever they occur, and to help keep the peace
once it is established.
Therefore, mechanisms for conflict prevention, management, and
settlement and European peacekeeping capabilities must be
strengthened if we are to adequately cope with future conflicts.
To this end, the United States of America and the Russian
Federation support the following initiatives:
The creation of a CSCE special representative to help
strengthen efforts to address ethnic antagonisms and the
treatment of minorities.
The strengthening of means within CSCE to provide for more
effective international dispute prevention, management, and
settlement.
The creation of a credible Euro-Atlantic peacekeeping
capability, based on CSCE political authority, which allows
for the use of the capacities of NACC, NATO, and WEU to
prepare, support, and manage operations for CSCE as well as
allows for the contribution of forces and resources from any
and all CSCE states.
With the security of North America and Europe inseparable, the
United States of America and the Russian Federation support the
strengthening of the Euro-Atlantic Community, believing that
security is indivisible from Vancouver to Vladivostok. The
parties share a vision of such a Euro-Atlantic Community as being
open to cooperation with all democratic societies. A prominent
role for institutions like NACC, NATO, and WEU along with CSCE
contributes uniquely to Euro-Atlantic security. The potential of
other institutions and mechanisms, including the Commonwealth of
Independent States, in support of security and peace in the area
is also noted.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation believe
that strengthening confidence and stability in Asia and the
Pacific region in cooperation with other states will also promote
global security. The parties are prepared to cooperate on these
goals. They aim at a fuller utilization of the potential of
economic-commercial cooperation in this region of the world,
particularly in view of the geographic positions of the United
States of America and Russia.
Noting the progress in the resolution of long-standing conflicts,
promotion of democracy and human rights, and advancement of
economic freedom and prosperity in vast areas of Latin America,
Africa, and Asia, the United States of America and the Russian
Federation stress the necessity to continue this process. Both
sides are ready to contribute to tapping the new-potential for
peace, to putting an end to conflicts, to bolstering mutual
confidence and trust, and to enhancing democracy -- which forms
the basis of an enduring peace in all parts of the world.
With the aim of coordinating crisis prevention activities, the
United States of America and the Russian Federation recognize the
critical importance of maintaining open lines of communication
and exchange. The United States of America and the Russian
Federation recognize the importance of the United Nations
Security Council and intend to maintain communications with other
members of the Security Council to prevent, manage, and resolve
crises. The United States and the Russian Federation recognize
the prominent role of the United Nations in solving major
international problem. They welcome in particular the
contribution of the United Nations to peace and security,
including the strengthening of UN peace-keeping.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation are
prepared to work together toward further arms control and
disarmament with the aim of promoting stability through
implementation with all countries involved of the treaties on
conventional forces in Europe and on the reduction and limitation
of strategic offensive arms and by carrying out respective U.S.
and Russian unilateral and complementary nuclear initiatives.
They are committed to discuss further steps which might improve
stability and result in further reductions of nuclear and
conventional weapons, the global elimination of chemical weapons,
and the promotion of confidence-building and crisis prevention
measures.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation are
prepared to cooperate in the matter of eliminating nuclear
warheads and chemical weapons subject to destruction within the
framework of treaty obligations and unilateral and complementary
initiatives.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation believe
that non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a
critical priority. Both parties will work towards strengthening
and improving the non-proliferation regimes of weapons of mass
destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical-weapons;
of missiles and missile technology; as well as of destabilizing
conventional weapons in accordance with international rules and
agreements.
In this regard, the United States of America and the Russian
Federation, in a separate statement, have expressed their
determination to cooperate in exploring the potential to create a
Ballistic Missile Early Warning Center and to cooperate in the
development of ballistic missile defense capabilities and
technologies.
In view of the potential for building a strategic partnership
between the United States of America and the Russian Federation,
the parties intend to accelerate defense cooperation between
their military establishments including: intensifying contacts
at all levels; expanding activities that encourage doctrinal and
operational openness; establishing expanded exchange and liaison
programs; exchanging ideas on fostering proper civil-military
relations in a democratic society. The parties will also pursue
cooperation in peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and counter-
narcotics missions.
ECONOMICS
The United States of America and the Russian Federation believe
that the surest path to Russia's long-term prosperity and
integration into the global economy is the continuation of the
present path of free market reform.
In order to achieve this goal, the Russian Federation intends to
speed up the processes of privatization and demonopolization, the
introduction of structural and sectoral reform, and the creation
of policies directed at furthering competition and effective
property and contract rights. Of special importance will be the
introduction of land reform and reforms in the energy sector.
The United States of America, realizing the importance of these
processes for the world economy as a whole and for democracy's
success, recognizes the courageous path of reform the Russian
Government has chosen and is determined to continue its support
for the reform course chosen by the Russian government on a
bilateral and multilateral basis, including through the G-7, the
international financial institutions, and the Coordinating
Conference process on humanitarian and technical assistance. The
United States of America recognizes the critical importance
cooperative technical assistance can play in support of reform
and the importance of continuing to expand its efforts in this
area.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation recognize
the critical role the private sector will play in Russia's
economic revival and integration into the global economy. The
United States of America and the Russian Federation intend to
encourage mutually beneficial Russian-American cooperation in
trade, investment, and business promotion and science and
technology.
The Russian Federation assumes that it is absolutely necessary to
create a favorable investment climate in Russia. For this
purpose, in accordance with its constitutional procedures, it
intends to improve its laws in the fields of taxation, property,
and contract law and those relating to intellectual property
rights.
In the interest of promoting trade and investment and
facilitating the work of their businessmen in each other's
countries, the United States and the Russian Federation intend to
lower barriers to their businesses and corporations operating in
each other's countries and to remove Cold War-era restrictions on
business.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation note the
importance they attach to widespread private sector involvement
in the interest of promoting economic reform and cooperation in
all sectors, in particular agriculture and food, distribution;
energy, including oil, gas, land, peaceful and safe uses of
nuclear power; peaceful exploration of space, consistent with
international obligations; telecommunication; environment; and
defense conversion.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation are
determined to continue their cooperation, both on a bilateral
basis and within the framework of appropriate multilateral
mechanisms, for the purpose of increasing the effectiveness and
universality of existing international export control regimes.
The parties will also continue the exchange of experience in the
field of national export control systems.
Desiring to expand opportunities for trade and investment in
high-technologies with Russia and the other new independent
states while also acutely aware of the responsibility to
establish and maintain strict controls to prevent proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction, the United States of America and
Russia intend to work toward these objectives bilaterally and in
appropriate multilateral fora, particularly COCOM through the new
COCOM Cooperation Forum.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation confirm
that they will encourage exchanges in the fields of science,
technology, education, culture and other areas.
The United States of America and the Russian Federation intend to
accelerate joint work on the conversion of defense industries to
civilian production.
DONE at Washington, in duplicate, this seventeenth day of June,
1992, in the English and Russian languages, each text being
equally authentic.