13 January 2003 00:00
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN ON THE ADOPTION OF THE RUSSIAN-JAPANESE PLAN OF ACTION, THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW, JANUARY 10, 2003
The President of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan,
sharing the view that in the present-day conditions, when in the international community there goes the process of an active molding of new forms of interstate cooperation based on the principles of freedom and democracy, the role and responsibility of the Russian Federation and Japan in the world are growing and they need to even more closely cooperate;
understanding the importance of stepping up the joint efforts for strengthening international peace and security on the basis of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and for solving urgent global problems, first of all in questions of counteraction against international terrorism;
presuming that strengthening cooperation between the Russian Federation and Japan at the global and regional levels will facilitate the development of relations between them and meets the interests of the whole international community;
reaffirming that the Russian Federation and Japan, sharing the universal values of liberty, democracy, the supremacy of law and respect for basic human rights, intend to continue to exert efforts for building relations of a constructive partnership meeting the strategic and geopolitical interests of the two countries;
aware that, in the conditions when in the Russian Federation's relations with its leading foreign partners cardinal positive changes are occurring, it is necessary by the stimulation of cooperation in various fields to take Russian-Japanese relations
to a level that would correspond to their potentialities, which
would be of strategic significance for the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world as a whole;
desirous of finally overcoming the difficult legacy of the past in bilateral relations and opening up new horizons for an extensive Russian-Japanese partnership and reconfirming their determination through energetic talks to conclude a peace treaty as soon as possible by solving the issue to whom Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai Islands belong and thus achieve a complete normalization of bilateral relations on the basis of the hitherto reached agreements, including the Joint Declaration by the USSR and Japan of 1956, Tokyo Declaration on Russian-Japanese Relations of 1993, Moscow Declaration on the Establishment of a Constructive Partnership Between the Russian Federation and Japan of 1998, the Statement by the President of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan on the Problem of a Peace Treaty of 2000 and Irkutsk Statement by the President of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan on the Further Continuation of Talks on the Problem of a Peace Treaty of 2001;
highly appreciating the role of the Program of Deepening Cooperation in the Trade-and-Economic Field, signed in September 2000, in promoting trade-and-economic ties and noting the necessity of realizing the potential for cooperation between the two countries in this area even more extensively and effectively;
noting the role of the technical assistance on the part of Japan, including under the auspices of Japanese centers, that helped the transition of the Russian Federation to a market economy and also expressing the confidence that a full integration of the Russian Federation into the system of world economy, including Russia's joining in the activities of WTO, supported by Japan, meets the interests of the world community as a whole;
convinced that the conduct of an array of Japanese cultural and other events in Russia in 2003 and the accomplishment in the future of similar Russian actions in Japan, as well as a large-scale expansion of exchanges between members of the various sections of the publics of the two countries will be helpful towards the further deepening of friendship, trust and mutual understanding between the Russian and Japanese peoples;
underscoring the importance of carrying out specific measures for ensuring the dynamic and comprehensive development of Russian-Japanese cooperation;
have adopted the attached Russian-Japanese Plan of Action and proclaimed the two countries' intention to conduct joint work on the implementation of its provisions.
Moscow, " " January 2003
PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
V.V. PUTIN
PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN
J. KOIZUMI
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