The article in the “Diplomacy” magazine

(November 2008)

by H.E. Mr. Gleb A.Ivashentsov,

Ambassador of the Russian Federation

RUSSIA – THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA:

NEW VISTAS OF PARTNERSHIP

From 28^th to 30^th September President Lee Myong Bak of the Republic of Korea paid an official visit to the Russian Federation on the invitation of President Medvedev. The Issues raised and discussed at the talks of the two heads of state, at President Lee Myong Bak’s meeting with V.V.Putin, at the Russian-Korean business-forum and other events of the summit, have reconfirmed that two our peoples are not only predestined to jointly settle quite a few common tasks by geography and history, but they are willing to actively work for that.

Today both Russia and the Republic of Korea have acquired a lot of new capacities to add to this work much weightier contribution than ten or fifteen years back. As President Lee Myong Bak said in his speech at the St.Petersburg State University on September 30^th he is confident that “Russia which unites in itself Europe and Asia spreading from the Pacific to the Atlantic, has a mission to become a leading force of the 21^st century civilization”.

As for the Republic of Korea, it turned from a poor developing country into an industrial and trade power of a world scale which is striving to establish itself as a strong foreign policy actor of its own right.

That preconditions its participation in a multilateral search of the ways to settle the problems facing the world, non-acceptance of unilateral diktat in international relations, prevention of proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, as well as promotion of world energy security.

At their September talks in Moscow the two parties agreed to cooperate on such issues as new global threats and challenges, climate change, energy and food security as well as fight against trans-border crimes including those in financial and economic spheres, piracy and cyberspace crime. The parties spoke in favour of peaceful settlement by dialogue of the recently developed situation around Georgia thus helping regional stability and international peace.

The consequences of the world financial crisis for the economies of both countries were thoroughly discussed. An agreement has been reached to establish a new channel of consultations on foreign policy and security issues such as a strategic dialogue on the level of vice-ministers of foreign affairs.

The Presidents of Russia and the Republic of Korea agreed that the growing processes of globalization have increased the inter-dependence among nations and made their security and prosperity inseparable. The challenges which are facing the mankind are of global character and can be effectively met only by joint efforts of the whole international community. As President Lee Myong Bak stressed in his speech in St.Petersburg in September 30^th, “No single state can anymore solely solve problems in such spheres as finance, trade, science and technology, Internet, ecology, climate change, nuclear weapons, food, energy, combat to terrorism”.

The recent Russian-Korean summit meeting in Moscow has reconfirmed that the two countries have a lot in common in their approaches to the world affairs. Expressing their satisfaction on the dynamic and multi-dimensional development of the Russian-Korean interaction the two leaders agreed to upgrade the current bilateral relations into a “strategic cooperative partnership”.

That is of a special significance today when certain forces are trying to undermine international understanding and cooperation by reviving instincts and prejudices of the “Cold War” period.

Partnership with the Republic of Korea has an independent value for my country, viewing first of all the formation of a multilateral security system in Northeast Asia.

The future of Russia as a great power depends on economic, technological and social uplift of Siberia and the Far Eastern regions. That goal can be achieved only in the absence of an external threat. The main threat to security in Northeast Asia is the confrontation on the Korean Peninsula aggravated today by the nuclear issue.

Russia and the Republic of Korea actively interact for the settlement of that issue at the Six-Party talks, along with China, US, Japan and the DPRK. At the Moscow summit the South Korean side welcomed the constructive role of the Russian Federation as the Chair of the Working group on mechanism of peace and security in Northeast Asia established within the framework of the Six-Party talks while the Russian side welcomed the activities of the ROK as the Chair of the Working group on economic and energy cooperation.

Russia is prepared to make her contribution to the inter-Korean normalization as well, for we believe that the settlement of the nuclear issue and the inter-Korean normalization are the two wheels of the same cart. We have been constantly standing in favor of the moves by two Korean states aimed at peaceful unification through their own efforts.

By Russian view it is mutual trust and confidence which is the most needed for building bridges between Pyongyang and Seoul. And what, if not common work on long-term mutually beneficial joint economic projects, could be the best way to build that mutual trust and confidence?

We are sure that settlement of the nuclear issue of Korea as well as the normalization of the DPRK’s relations with the key regional powers will be greatly facilitated by the practical implementation of the large-scale tripartite partnership projects of Russia and North and South Korea, first of all of the international railway corridor “Europe-Korea”, linking the Trans-Korean Railway (TKR) and the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR).

The two Presidents expressed their satisfaction in the achievements made through the implementation of the 2005 Plan on Economic and Trade Cooperation between Russia and Korea. In particular, they welcomed the seven-fold growth in bilateral trade since 2000 reaching US $ 15 billion in 2007. We have good reasons to believe that it will come up to US $ 20 billion in 2008 and to US $ 30-40 billion within next four-five years.

The Russian side highly valued Korean companies’ willingness to participate in project development in the Russian Far East and Siberia, within the framework of the Russia-Korea Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation on the basis of the Federal program “The Economic and Social Development of the Far East and Eastern Siberia for 1996-2005 and until 2013”.

President Lee wished for the success of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit Meeting which will be held in Vladivostok in 2012 and also for the success of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Both Presidents decided to actively cooperate in all relevant projects, including the building of the infrastructure of these international events.

The two Presidents expressed their commitment to strengthen the two countries’ cooperation in energy. In this context, they endorsed the joint implementation of energy projects by the Russian Federation, the Republic of Korea and third countries. Furthermore, both Presidents agreed to enhance cooperation for the success of projects in developing oil fields in Russia, including the West Kamchatka Project. President Medvedev acclaimed Korea’s commitment to participate in the open competition and bid for the resources, and in the construction of petro- and gas-chemical complexes in the Russian Far East region.

Both Presidents shared the view that Korea’s import of Russian natural gas would bring benefits to both countries and welcomed the conclusion of the MOU on cooperation between the state-run gas companies of the two countries. It was also agreed to strengthen their cooperation and promote large projects in high-tech areas, including areas of nanotech, IT, nuclear energy, space exploration, and other fields of science and technologies.

The two Presidents noted with satisfaction that considerable accomplishments have been made through cooperation for peaceful use and research of outer space, and further noted that the space exploration by the first Korean astronaut in 2008 was a success. Russian-Korean cooperation in aerospace including the development of the Korean Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-1), will continuously expand.

With the view that Russia’s proposal to establish the International Uranium Center is useful for the sake of non-proliferation and stable supply of nuclear fuel and under the common perception that peaceful use of nuclear energy and the strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime are important, President Medvedev and President Lee Myong Bak will examine the possibility of cooperation in this area.

The two countries stood to further develop their mutually beneficial cooperation in the fishing industry, in accordance with Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in Fisheries of September 16^th, 1991. In addition, the leaders will render assistance to the creation of joint projects on the catching, reproduction, processing, and marketing of aquatic resources, and to mutually cooperate for the preservation and maintenance of marine bio-resources. The two presidents also agreed to promote cooperation for the prevention of illegal fishery in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Both Presidents expressed satisfaction that the bilateral cooperation has reached a high level in law enforcement and shared the view that it is necessary to enhance the cooperation to prevent and address natural and human disasters.

It was agreed to continuously increase exchanges and strengthen their cooperation in the defense area, military technology exchanges and personal interaction between the militaries of the two countries.

The recent years have witnessed broadening Russian-Korean contacts in such spheres as culture, academic activities, youth and sports. South Korean films have become well known in Russia. The popularity of Taekwondo is growing. On other hand Russian classical music, ballet and literature are enjoyed by more and more Koreans. Many Korean opera singers, ballet dancers and musicians got their training in Moscow and St.Petersburg. The best performances of the Korean National Ballet have been staged by the great Russian director Yury Grigorovitch, while another famous Russian ballet director Oleg Vinogradov stages the shows at the Universal ballet. Such Russian songs as “the Cranes” and “Million Scarlet Roses” are known practically by all Koreans. Russian martial arts champion Fyodor Yemelyanenko has become a real hero for South Korean boys and girls. Thanks to his popularity Russian martial art Sambo is practiced these days in many cities and provinces of the Republic of Korea.

At their Moscow summit both Presidents agreed that the organization of joint events, devoted to the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea, would contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations, and decided to work together for the celebration of the jubilee as an important event through the implementation of various cultural and other memorable projects.

Sharing views that the increase of people-to-people exchanges between the two nations would provide a strong impetus for improving inter-civil understanding between Russia and Korea, both Presidents agreed to improve the legal basis for such exchanges, including measures to simplify the procedures for issuing visas.

The September summit in Moscow has opened new broad vistas of the Russian-Korean partnership. It was significant by many reasons. I will single out the main ones.

First. The talks which President Lee Myong Bak had with President D.Medvedev and Prime Minister V.Putin confirmed the continuity of Seoul’s course to enhance interaction with Russia. It is known that President Lee Myong Bak’s position on many issues differs from that of his immediate predecessors in the post of the President of the RoK but not on the relationship with Russia. One can say with a good deal of confidence that a kind of a national consensus has been formed in South Korea on partnership with Russia.

Second. The recent Russian-South Korean summit took place in a very special time. The adversaries of Russia used the events in the Caucasus to mount a vitriolic anti-Russian campaign in the international arena. But that did not prevent the President of the Republic of Korea to reconfirm in Moscow his willingness to raise the relations with Russia to the level of strategic cooperative partnership. That has surely strengthened the independent weight of the Republic of Korea in regional and international affairs.

Third. The circle of traditional allies as well as of international contacts in general, of Russia and the Republic of Korea does not coincide. That is based on historical reasons. Russia does not seek any privileges for itself in South Korea and does not compete with anyone for the influence in that country. Nor we look at our relationship with the Republic of Korea through a prism of our relationship with third countries. The partnership with the Republic of Korea is viewed by us as a component of a multipolar world set-up within which inspite of all differences, nations guided by equality and mutual respect of interests, are jointly building a more democratic, a more just and – due to that – a more secure world order. The September talks in Moscow confirmed that there is the same approach to Russia by the Republic of Korea.