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

Ambassador of the Russian Federation,

at the Northeast Asian Network – 2009, Yonsei Institute for Leadership Development, Yonsei University

(Seoul, February 10^th, 2009)

Dear friends,

I thank the Yonsei Institute for Leadership Development for giving me an opportunity to address you at today’s “round table”. I gave participated in such functions already twice – in 2007 and 2008 and view these invitations as evidence to your interest in interaction with Russia in determining the present and the future of Northeast Asia.

That interest is reasonable. Today Russia has come back to the world arena as a strong state, a state worth to be regarded. We are happy that such developments are positively received in South Korea. 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”.

Russia has been, it is and will be an integral part of Northeast Asia. Not a single international problem of any significance of that important region can be solved without Russia or despite Russia. In no other region are internal and external interests of Russia so interconnected as in Northeast Asia. For the future of Russia as a great power to much extent depends on the economic, technological and social uplift of Siberia and the Russian Far East. To achieve that aim we need the absence of external threats. And by Russia’s view such guarantees could be best provided by developing positive relations with her neighbors.

In that we have already achieved a lot. Our strategic partnership with China has been considerably enhanced. Russia's relations with Japan in recent years have been characterized by an intensive political dialogue at different levels. To the DPRK Russia is linked with the Treaty of Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and Cooperation.

Russia and the Republic of Korea are presently jointly working to raise their relationship to the level of strategic cooperation and partnership. Two our countries have common interest in eliminating the war threat in Northeast Asia. The main source of that threat is the more than half-century old military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula presently aggravated by the nuclear issue.

That issue is of a direct concern for Russia as the DPRK conducted the nuclear test on October 9^th, 2006 at a site which is located at a distance of just
177 kilometers from our border. We do not like such a situation. We need neither nuclear nor missile tests at our border. Russia does not recognize the DPRK as a nuclear power and together with the partners in the “Six-Party” talks is trying to convince it to give up the military nuclear program.

At the same time we believe that all work on settlement of the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula should be done in the context of providing security guarantees to all countries of the region viz. the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, Japan etc. It is very important to avoid any actions that could lead to new tensions around Korea and the situation coming out of control.

There is no secret that the political system of the DPRK is not to the liking of some people in the international community. And those people are expressing concerns that the security guarantees, political dialogue and economic aid to the DPRK would in the short run allegedly raise the prestige and status of that regime internally as well as externally thereby extending its existence. But the parties to any inter-state exchanges are bound to deal with the leadership of a concrete state which really controls the situation in that state and enjoys the international recognition. And whoever tells whatever about the political system of the DPRK and its leadership, there is an undeniable fact that the DPRK is a sovereign independent state enjoying full rights as an UN member recognized by more than 150 states of the world. The talks with it are possible only on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Such talks aimed at the engagement of the DPRK to the economic and political life of the region could in the long run stimulate market reforms and more openness of that country which would create a ground for unification of North and South Korea, minimizing the possibility of destructive processes and acute socio-political and military destabilization on the Korean peninsula.

In other words the solution of the problem lies not in that first to achieve a complete and final nuclear disarmament of North Korea and after that to settle political issues left from the time of the Korean War. There should be a model of parallel advancing in two directions. First, in the direction of freezing and dismantling of the DPRK’s military nuclear program along with its coming back to the NPT and under the guarantees of the IAEA. And secondly, the steps to defuse the political tension on the Korean peninsula and to develop relations between the DPRK and South Korea as well as with other countries of the region should be taken. It is only on such a path that the nuclear issue will be settled strategically and finally.

Russia has 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, such as the international railway corridor "Europe-Korea", linking the Trans-Korean Railway (TKR) and the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) as well as the creation in Northeast Asia of a common energy grid and a pipeline system including the regions of the Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East.

There is no doubt that the Six-Party talks constitute today the best format for working out the system of peace and security in Northeast Asia. What, in our view, should be laid to the foundation of such a system? First of all, perhaps, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as all parties to the Six-Party talks are UN members. They all also speak of their allegiance to such universally recognized norms of international law as equality, non-interference into internal affairs, respect for national sovereignty and the existing diversity of political, economic, social and cultural systems of the nations of the region. The parties should also confirm they will refrain from threat or use of force against each other and take an obligation to settle disputes and other problems among them through political and diplomatic means.

Inspite of all differences between Six Parties all of them have common interest to combat terrorism, extremism, organized crime, drug trafficking, piracy, regional and global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, spread of dangerous infectious diseases and environmental pollution as well as to cooperate in alleviating the consequences of natural calamities. There is the need of dialogue to strengthen mutual understanding and mutual trust. There is the need of economic cooperation and the knowledge of each other’s cultures and traditions.

One more issue is significant. For example, 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. I think that the other participants of the Six-Party process should be guided by the same principles recognizing each Party’s right for independent choice of ways and means to safeguard it’s own security including establishing cooperation with other states and building relevant multilateral arrangements.

Energy security is one of integral components of global and regional security. Three years back at the G-8 Summit Russia raised the issue of global energy security and called for the joint responsibility of energy supplying, consuming as well as transiting states.

Russia actively cooperates with European partners in the sphere of energy security. It is prepared to contribute to the energy security of Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific area as well. Next week “Gasprom” along with its partners which are “Shell”, “Mitsui” and “Mitsubishi” will put into operation a liquifying plant and transportation system for natural gas extracted on the island of Sakhalin in the Russian Far East. The Republic of Korea for instance, will get annually from that project 1,5 million ton LNG for the period of 20 years. Large volumes of LNG from Sakhalin will be supplied to Japan and even to the US Pacific Coast.

The first phase of the oil pipe-line from Eastern Siberia to the Pacific Coast of Russia is under completion. It will end at the new oil port and refinery in the region of Vladivostok. A gas pipe-line will be laid later parallel to the oil pipe-line directed to the Russian Pacific Coast and to China.

Dear friends!

The last year was full of important and sometimes dramatic events in the international affairs. The illusion of the one-polar world has been irrevocably left in the past. The strengthening of the regional level of global management is becoming a more influential trend of the modern world development. We can see that everywhere be it Euro-Atlantic Area or Europe proper, the post-Soviet space, the Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa or Latin America. Not waiting for the international system disbalanced about twenty years back to regain its logics and completion, the states are taking upon themselves initiative and responsibility for developments in their regions.

Russia welcomes such a trend whole-heartedly, in relation to Northeast Asia as well. I would add: the issues of peace and security have become too fateful these days to remain the monopoly of governments. The broadest political, academic, business circles of all relevant countries should take part in decision-making. It is on such a ground only that a more democratic, a more just, and through that – a more secure international order could be established.

I am confident that the ideas and suggestions put forward at your forum will be taken up by the interested governments to serve as basic elements of future international agreements and will be put to life.

I with you all success on your work!