by
Evgeny V. Afanasiev
[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation]
posted May 31, 2002
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 Preface : * Views expressed in this paper are the author's own and they do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The Asia-Pacific Region(APR) occupies an important place in Russia's foreign policy priorities. There are many reasons for this. Two thirds of our territory lies in Asia. The APR still remains one of the dynamically developing regions of the world whose weight and influence are steadily growing.
Less than half a year ago, dramatic events shocked international relations. The Asian continent, personified by Afghanistan, found itself at the center of retaliatory strikes by the world anti-terrorist coalition. At the same time, the terrorists' apparent hopes for support from Asian countries with their multimillion Muslim population never materialized. Asia did not follow them. All the countries of the region unequivocally condemned the terrorist acts in the USA and spoke up for a decisive struggle against any manifestations of international terrorism and extremism, which lays a solid foundation for extensive regional cooperation not only in the anti-terrorist struggle but also in efforts to achieve peace, security, and stability in the Pacific region.
The APR regional mechanisms are to play an important role in working out a strategy to combat new challenges and threats while all measures should be taken so that the anti-terrorist struggle does not bring about new conflicts and dividing lines and does not turn into a war of civilizations. The development of practical measures to eliminate the social and economic backwardness of underdeveloped regions, to implement social programs and to settle the regional conflicts that have been smoldering in Asia for several decades should be given high priority. In other words, we should effectively address the problems that give rise to terrorism, extremism and other dangerous phenomena of today.
While shaping its policy in the Asia-Pacific Region, Russia intends to adhere to the following guidelines and directions.
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We consider the present situation in the Asia-Pacific Region as generally stable and favorable. Recently, the countries of the region have clearly expressed their desire to strengthen equal interaction and to renounce the use of force. New forms of political and economic cooperation are being sought. The consolidation of the international community in combating terrorism is having a stabilizing impact on our region too. All this provides unique opportunities for creating in the APR a naturally cooperative, multi-polar system of regional security and collaboration. We believe it is important that this system should provide equal rights for all its participants. Russia will promote such a system in every way possible.
The leading multilateral mechanisms of regional interaction - the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), APEC and others - should play an invaluable role in the formation of such a system. Meanwhile, in our opinion, we should actively use their potential for collaborative efforts and cooperation, taking into consideration the realities and traditions existing in the region.
As an Asia-Pacific country, Russia cannot afford to keep out of these processes. We intend to keep on making efforts to strengthen and further develop the positive trends seen in relations between the countries of the region, and we will do it in close cooperation with other countries. We are taking an active part in drafting, within the ARF framework, a Pacific Concord Declaration on Principles Governing Mutual Relations in the Asia-Pacific Region, and a concept of preventive diplomacy, and confidence-building measures, including those in the military and political area. We actively cooperate with our partners within the APEC, regarding this forum as an important channel of integrating Russia into the Asia-Pacific Region.
Recently, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that was created last June has been establishing its position. The beginning has been fruitful: a Convention against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism was signed in Shanghai and the first meeting of the heads of government of member-states was held in Alma-Ata. Preparations for the SCO summit that is to take place next June in St.Petersburg are now underway. At the summit the Organization's Charter will be adopted and an Agreement on Creating a Regional Anti-terrorist Structure in Bishkek and a number of other documents will be signed. The St. Petersburg summit will complete the process of making the SCO a full-fledged international organization.
The current political year has started for us at the extraordinary meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO member-states in Beijing. This meeting was necessitated by the need to consolidate the efforts of Afghanistan's neighbours at a crucial moment for Central Asia. The SCO partners reached broad understanding on the ways of settlement and post-conflict rehabilitation in Afghanistan, the organized struggle against international terrorism, as well as the role and place of the SCO in resolving these issues. A meaningful Joint Statement was signed. All this gives an important impetus to transforming the SCO into one of the system-forming elements to ensure security and stability in Asia that is also open for extensive interaction with other states and associations.
We keenly follow the development of integration processes in East Asia. We note the recent marked enhancement of the role of the ASEAN+3 forum in the development of cooperation among the participants of this important mechanism, which is now acquiring a new dimension.
Russia considers the extension of economic relations with the countries of the region and the early integration of its Far Eastern regions into the APR's system of economic ties to be its priority. It is all the more expedient in the light of those ambitious objectives and projects that are currently being discussed in the region in the field of energy, transport, communications and ecology. With its large quantity of raw materials, production, science and technology potential, Russia can play a unique role here.
Certainly, reliable stability and security in our common Asian home is the main prerequisite for attaining this goal. We believe that the consolidation of positive achievement in Russia's bilateral relations with its neighbors coupled with further development of the constructive cooperation with multilateral regional mechanisms will allow us all to create the necessary conditions for economic integration of Russia into the APR and, thus, to make a considerable step towards joint prosperity of our countries and peoples.
China is a major partner of Russia within the APR. Russian-Chinese relations have been developing on the basis of equal and confidential partnership and strategic interaction. We are greatly satisfied with their status: never before have our relations been characterized by such a degree of mutual understanding and intensity of cooperation in literally all fields.
In 2001 the Russian-Chinese political dialogue, which was fraught with events, culminated in the state visit by China's President Jiang Zemin to the Russian Federation in July 2001. The visit was marked by the signing of the Treaty on Good-Neighborly Relations, Friendship and Cooperation, a basic legal instrument providing guidelines in the activities aimed at expanding and enhancing multifaceted interaction over the next twenty years.
Trade and economic cooperation has undergone qualitative changes. The visit by Zhu Rongji, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, to Russia and the sixth regular meeting of the Heads of Government of the two countries held in St. Petersburg in September 2001 during the visit, played an important role in the process. The implementation of large-scale cooperation projects in energy, transport and high technology fields has gained new momentum. The Russian company "Gazprom" won an important victory in the tender for the construction of the largest gas pipeline in China, "Tarim-Shanghai". In the previous year, the bilateral trade volume exceeded the record 10 billion dollars and is expected to grow further.
Following the tragic events of September 11, Russia and China did not hesitate to join international efforts to combat terrorism and began to develop bilateral anti-terrorist interaction. A Working Group to counteract criminal challenges and threats at the level of deputy Foreign Ministers has been set up with the participation of representatives of law-enforcement agencies and special services, its first meeting has
already been held.
Year 2001 saw unprecedented intensity of interaction between Russia and China in the international arena. Close proximity of national interests of the two countries enabled us to effectively coordinate our steps in shaping a multi-polar world order, securing supremacy of international law, strengthening the UN and promoting the role of the UN Security Council, maintaining strategic stability and dealing with various regional issues. As strong supporters of strengthening the SOC, both Moscow and Beijing are closely cooperating in Central Asian affairs. Last year, Russia and China began to cooperate actively and fruitfully in new areas like APEC, and on the issues of Afghanistan and South Asia.
The upcoming official visit of the President of the Russian Federation to China is to become a key event in our bilateral relations this year. A plan of comprehensive preparation for the seventh regular summit of the heads of government of Russia and China has been outlined. It provides for increased parliamentary exchanges and measures to strengthen the social basis of our relations. Further increase in the volume and higher quality of economic cooperation are among our first priorities. Jointly with China we face a considerable amount of work in the international arena to uphold our foreign policy positions, which are in many ways close or coincide.
We are in general satisfied with the development of Russian-Japanese relations.
Aware of large-scale reform plans in all spheres of life in Japan announced by the J. Koizumi cabinet, we took with understanding the fact that after coming to office he needed some time before he could directly address Russian-Japanese relations. Today the dialogue between Russia and Japan is gaining momentum.
In Russia, great importance is attached to the fact that at the Russian-Japanese summit held in October 2001 in Shanghai, Japan confirmed the continuity of its policy towards Russia as well as its commitment to all former agreements, including the results of the Irkutsk meeting. We are prepared to continue developing our bilateral relations, first of all in such key areas as coordinating Russian and Japanese activities on the international scene, expanding cooperation in trade, economic and other practical spheres, continuing talks on a peace treaty, including a mutually acceptable solution to the problem of border delineation.
Among the problems of the Asian region that require our continuing attention I would like to single out the Korean issue.
Russia is satisfied with the fact that for the last two to three years we have increased our positive impact on the issue of Korean rapprochement. We believe that our role in this regard is constructive, stabilizing and without prejudice to anyone's interests.
Taking into account the constant task which is central to Russian interests ?that of strengthening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, we have rendered all around support to the inter-Korean top level agreements of June 2000. It is regrettable that the successfully initiated North-South dialogue has lately encountered serious difficulties. We sincerely wish that the difficulties be overcome.
Russia continues to build friendly relations both with the DPRK and the Republic of Korea without any rigid link with the status of and prospects for the development of inter-Korean dialogue, although Moscow is naturally interested in its successful and constructive continuation. In the interests of normalizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula we regularly consult not only with the Republic of Korea and the DPRK but also with the USA, China, Japan, the EU and other countries.
Last February, during the Seoul negotiations between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea the latter's policy aimed at reducing tension in inter-Korean relations and the development of cooperation between the North and the South received our support. This policy would pave the way for the implementation of major business projects of a multilateral nature including that of a rail corridor linking the North and the South of Korea with Europe via the Trans-Siberian railroad.
The same subject was discussed in detail with the DPRK leader Kim Chong II last August in Moscow. The agreements reached made it possible to improve considerably the quality of our relations with the DPRK - our immediate neighbor and traditional partner. We have developed substantial political dialogue with the North Korean leadership.
We attach great importance to the DPRK-US negotiations primarily with a view to ensure security in Korea. We are convinced that a calm, considered, constructive, and unbiased approach to the DPRK and its problems would bring agreement with the United States closer. We have to admit that the North Korean leaders are still ready for the dialogue continuation despite the ultimatum like nature of demands made by foreign politics.
Russia is not losing sight of the prospect for the discussion of Korean problems in the context of strengthening security in Northeast Asia, especially taking into account the decision by the US Administration to withdraw from the 1972 ABM Treaty. Clearly, an appropriate multilateral dialogue will only be possible with the consent of all of its participants.
Russia-ASEAN relations are gaining positive developments in almost every aspect, while being filled with an entirely new essence. These relations are based not only on a long-term tradition of bilateral ties and good will but also on a common point of view on many global and regional processes. Political dialogue and contacts on the inter-parliamentary level are of a constant nature, trade is expanding, cultural and tourist ties are developing. One can witness much cooperation in the field of trade, science and technology and hi-tech.
We consider ASEAN to be an important and influential factor in world politics that enhances the formation of a multi-polar world order. The Association should play the role as the APR's center of influence. It is not an exaggeration to say, that the ideology of multilateral international affairs truly is a philosophical base for Russia-ASEAN's structural interaction.
The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Megawati Sukarnoputri, which took place last November in Shanghai, the official visit by Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to Moscow this March, became major landmarks in the further development of Russia-ASEAN relations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Hanoi in March 2001 and Russian Prime-Minister M.M. Kasyanov's visit to that country this March raised the relations of strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam to a higher level.
Generally speaking, we can say with certainty that our foreign policy in Asia will be pragmatic, consistent and predictable. It's principal goal ?to ensure the most favorable and secure external conditions for sustained social and economic development of Russia and for improving the living standards of our people. Russia's commitment to developing, as a matter of priority, relations with our Asian partners and neighbors will also remain unchanged.
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