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BOLETIN INFORMATIVO 11

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of

the Russian Federation, Moscow, Foreign Ministry, June 27, 2006

President said that at a time when the global security architecture is undergoing modernisation, old views and prejudices cannot be allowed to persist and develop.

Any country’s foreign policy should be assessed on the basis of the principles of international law and common, universal standards, Mr. Putin said.

Russia will both cooperate and compete with its partners on the international stage, but on the basis of fair and clear rules that apply to all equally.

Speech of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin

at the Meeting with the Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives

of the Russian Federation

Good afternoon, dear friends and colleagues,

Recent years have seen great changes, sometimes fundamental changes, take place in the world. These changes are to a certain extent linked to the rise of new, economically powerful players on the world stage. It needs to be said that Russia, too, has considerably strengthened its domestic potential and its international position.

Russia is consistent in its support for a more secure and democratic world order and for equal access for all peoples and countries to the benefits of globalisation. Of course, we are equally consistent in our support for concerted effort made by all states to carry out policies aimed at minimising the modern threats and challenges we face.

We played an active part in ensuring that documents adopted by the United Nations in 2005 for the first time qualify instigation of terrorism as a crime. Our diplomats can also take credit for the opening for signature of the Convention on Combating Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

I am convinced that we have reached a point today where the entire global security architecture is indeed undergoing modernisation, and you have probably noticed this for yourselves. If we let old views and approaches continue to hold sway, the world will be doomed to further futile confrontation. We need to reverse these dangerous trends and this requires new ideas and approaches.

I must say, too, that the causes fuelling the desire of a number of countries to acquire weapons of mass destruction and carry out other military programmes include not just national ambitions but also the overblown importance given to force in international relations that is being foisted on us all.

In this respect, the stagnation we see today in the area of disarmament is of particular concern. Russia is not responsible for this situation. We support renewed dialogue on the main disarmament issues. Above all, we propose to our American partners that we launch negotiations to replace the START Treaty, which expires in 2009.

To be honest, not everyone was ready to see Russia begin to restore its economic health and its position on the international stage so rapidly. Some still see us through the prism of past prejudices and, as I said before, see a strong and reinvigorated Russia as a threat. Some are ready to accuse us of reviving ‘neo-imperialist’ ambitions or, as we heard recently, have come up with the accusation of ‘energy blackmail’.

We propose a different road – that of evaluating the foreign policy of any country on the basis of international law and a common set of universal standards.

The conclusion then, it seems, is that this flood of criticism about a purely economic issue was entirely politicised. I repeat that we will cooperate and we will compete, but on the basis of fair and honest rules that apply equally to one and all. The principle of ‘I’m allowed to do it, but don’t you try’ is completely unacceptable to Russia.

We do not divide countries into those with whom we will cooperate and those who we will oppose. Our competitors (on economic markets, for example) are also our key partners in resolving the most important international problems. Such is the nature of modern international relations in which cooperation and competition are closely interwoven.

I would now like to say a few words about some of the key vectors in our foreign policy.

In my Address [to the Federal Assembly], I spoke in detail about our basic policy guidelines for our work in the CIS. I repeat that I think the time has come for a transition to the principles accepted in the world economy and in trade, principles that are based on sober calculation. I think that this transition will improve the health of our diverse ties with our partners in the CIS. Our relations with countries from outside the region now building up their positions in the post-Soviet area will also ultimately benefit from this.

Russia has always been a reliable partner for the countries of Europe. We hope that our dialogue with the European Union in general and with its leading countries – Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other EU members – will lead to the development of mutually beneficial economic contacts, the expansion of scientific and cultural ties and the removal of obstacles in the way of contact between our peoples.

We hope that the agreement on simplifying the visa regime signed recently in Sochi will enter into force by the end of this year and will open up new opportunities for our citizens. This is an important step towards visa-free travel.

Russia’s friendly ties with the People’s Republic of China have become all-encompassing in nature. We see our main task as being not to preserve what we have achieved thus far but to take new steps in order to further expand the partnership between Russia and China.

We will continue to move forward in our strategic bilateral cooperation and to coordinate our activities on the international stage.

One good example of this kind of cooperation in a multilateral format is, of course, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The organisation is only five years old but is already effectively resolving important political, economic and counter-terrorist issues.

Our relations with India are distinguished by a similar approach regarding the main issues of world politics. At the same time, we must act soon to substantially increase our trade and investment and our cooperation in the energy sector and other areas, including military-technical cooperation.

Russia’s relations with the United States of America are of particular significance for strategic stability. Joint resistance to terrorism and common efforts to settle a number of key regional problems are a positive foundation that we should build on in order to resolve other pragmatic tasks before us.

Of course, there is still much to change in our relations with each other. If we want these changes to be positive, politicians from both countries must realise the axiom that partnership between countries such as Russia and the USA can be built only on equal rights and mutual respect.

Our relations with Japan fully justify our position of pursuing our political dialogue and developing our economic cooperation while maintaining our principled approach and our sincere desire to conclude a peace treaty with Japan.

The Asia-Pacific Region in general is becoming increasingly important for Russia today. It is in our interests to take maximum part in regional integration through the region’s forums and institutions, including APEC, ASEAN and other forums.

In the Middle East, over these last years we have added close and constructive cooperation with Israel to our traditional ties with the Arab countries.

Russia will continue to show initiative and play a part in Middle East peace settlement both at bilateral level and as a member of the quartet of international mediators.

The countries of Latin America and Africa are playing an ever more active part in the global processes underway, confirming that the time of exclusive ‘zones of influence’ is now a thing of the past. This opens up broad new opportunities for constructive and positive work for Russia and for Russian business.

Of course, supporting and protecting the rights of Russians abroad remains one of the priorities for our country’s foreign policy. This is a question of our humanitarian and economic national interests.

I hope for a frank and constructive dialogue.

Thank you for your attention.

30 de junio de 2006

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El boletín informativo se edita por la Sección de prensa de la Embajada, el agregado de prensa K.Ignatov, tel. 264-00-38