The Prime Minister of Japan and The President of the Russian Federation

Based upon the recognition that, with the end of the Cold war, the world is moving away from the structure of confrontation towards cooperation which will open new vistas for advances in international cooperation on both global and regional levels as well as in bilateral relations between different countries, and that this is creating favorable conditions for the full normalization of the Japan-Russia bilateral relations;

Declaring that Japan and the Russian Federation share the universal values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and the respect for fundamental human rights;

Recalling that the promotion of market economy and free trade contributes to the prosperity of the economies of both countries and to the sound development of the global economy;

Believing firmly that the success of the reforms underway in the Russian Federation is of decisive importance for building a new world political and economic order;

Affirming the importance of building the relations between the two countries in accordance with the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter;

Determined that Japan and the Russian Federation should work together on the basis of the spirit of international cooperation, overcoming the legacy of totalitarianism, to build a new international order and to fully normalize their bilateral relations,

Declare the following:

1. The Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Russian Federation share the recognition that the democratic and economic reforms underway in the Russian Federation are of tremendous significance not only for the people of Russia but also for the entire world. They are also of the view that the Russian Federation’s successful transition to a true market economy and its smooth integration into the democratic international community are indispensable factors for increasing stability in the world and making the process of forming a new international order irreversible. In this regard, the Prime Minister of Japan conveyed to the President of the Russian Federation the following message from the leaders of the G7 countries and the representatives of the European Community: