Russian-Chinese initiative on Strengthening of Security and Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region

by Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bangladesh
October 21, 2010

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1048/russian-chinese-initiative-on-strengthening

During the official visit of President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev to China on September 26-28 this year the heads of the two states put forward a joint initiative on strengthening of security and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR). The key points of the initiative were included in the final joint communiqué of Russia and China on comprehensive strengthening of the Russian-Chinese relations of partnership and strategic interaction (part 2, paragraph 8).

Russia and China suggest that all the countries of the APR confirm their commitment to the principles of equal and indivisible security, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-use of force or threat of force and other generally accepted norms, renounce confrontation and cooperation aimed against third countries. Russia and China invite all the countries of the APR to discuss and practically implement measures aimed at establishment of open, transparent and equal architecture of security and cooperation based on legal, non-bloc principles as well as on taking into account of legitimate interests of all states. Promotion of these principles and measures aimed at ensuring of security might be facilitated by establishment of partnership ties between multilateral regional organizations.

In the context of the Russian-Chinese initiative Russian side is confident that the security architecture existing in the APR, which is based on narrow-format closed defense alliances, obviously does not meet the modern realities of the multipolar world as well as the character and the scale of the multiplying challenges and threats which our region is facing. Against such a backdrop the lack of multilateral foreign-policy and international legal instruments of ensuring of military and political stability becomes even more obvious.

It brings up the task of elaborating of additional measures to strengthen security which is especially pressing in the conditions of the current transformation of the whole international system. Strengthening of the APR's role in the world economic and political processes, intertwining of the interests of the leading "players" in the region demand joint efforts and shared responsibility in resolving of the current problems as well as enhancing of effectiveness of the regional-level governance. Russia believes that in the work on strengthening of security in the APR it is necessary to rely on existing well-proven multilateral organizations while dispensing of the Cold War remnants in the region. It is necessary to use accumulated experience more actively.

There are interesting achievements in the field of security and confidence building measures in bilateral relations between many APR countries as well as in such regional organizations as ASEAN and its Regional Forum, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia. During the six-party negotiations on the Korean peninsular nuclear problem significant progress has been achieved in elaborating of peace and security mechanism building principles for North-East Asia.

Russia attaches high importance to the emerging mechanism of the ASEAN countries' defense ministers and dialog partners meetings ("ADMM+"). New opportunities for strategic dialog on all aspects of security and cooperation in APR are offered by the mechanism of East Asian Summits which after joining of Russia and the USA will bring together the key countries of the region.

Taking into consideration that due to objective reasons a common system of security and cooperation has not been formed in the region, it is necessary in the age of network diplomacy – and this opinion is widely shared – to actively develop in ARF an extensive network of partnership ties between regional organizations and fora, counterterrorism organizations, emergency information and management centres. Such an initiative has been put forward by Shanghai Cooperation Organization which is already actively establishing contacts and interaction with ESCAP, ASEAN, Collective Security Treaty Organization, Commonwealth of Independent States, Euro-Asian Economic Community and other regional organizations.

Russia is open to the dialog on the widest range of issues with its regional partners in bilateral format as well as at multilateral fora. Further detailed elaboration of the initiative on strengthening of security and cooperation in APR implies involvement of India, Mongolia, Vietnam and other ASEAN countries in this work. Russia also intends to include the issues of a more advanced regional architecture in the agenda of our dialog with the USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Promotion of the Russian-Chinese initiative will be made a priority of our participation in the multilateral organizations of APR such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ASEAN Regional Forum, Russia-ASEAN dialog partnership, Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia and "ADMM+".

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