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

Ambassador of the Russian Federation,

at the Northeast Asian Network 2008,

Yonsei Institute for Leadership Development,

Yonsei University

(Seoul, January 29th, 2008)

Dear friends,

I would like to thank the Yonsei Institute for Leadership Development for the invitation to take part in the Northeast Asian Network 2008 and to address you on the Russian approaches to the present developments in Northeast Asia.

In no other region are Russia�s internal and external interests so interconnected as in Northeast Asia. The economic and political consolidation of Russia allows us today to take up the long-pending task of the integrated development of the Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East, the area of which is seven million square km or 41 percent of the territory of Russia. I mean the more efficient integration of that vast area into Russia�s economy as well as into international markets, its development intended to create favorable business environment and decent conditions for life and work of the people.

The needful guidelines have been given by President V.Putin and corresponding programs approved by the Government of Russia.

For instance, the Federal Special Programme for the development of the Far East and trans-Baikal areas in the period up to 2013 adopted by the Government of Russia on August 2^nd, 2007 provides financial allocations equal to more than US$ 22 billion for development of infrastructure which includes reconstruction of 22 airports, 13 sea ports as well as bridges, highways and power plants. About US$ 4,0 billion of that sum will be allotted to the city of Vladivostok which will house the APEC summit of 2012.

My country has set a great task for herself but its realization will bring an even greater output. We believe that potentially the uplift of the Russian Asia�s vast territories and utilization of its natural and other resources would deliver results which may be comparable or even greater than those of the development of the American West. The process will inevitably exert major influence on all civilizational processes in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

The economic development of Siberia and the Far East demands external security. And by Russia�s view such security could be best provided not by forming certain new �holy alliances� based on ideological solidarity or pushing forward ultimatums which herd anyone into an impasse but by developing positive relations with her neighbours in the region based on the �security through partnership and mutual development� principle.

In that we have already achieved a lot. The year of Russia in China held in 2006 and the year of China in Russia in 2007 raised to a new level the enhancement of our strategic partnership with China.

Russia�s dialogue with Japan is developing continuously. To the DPRK Russia is linked with the Treaty of Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and Cooperation.

The partnership with the Republic of Korea which is an integral component of the general strategy of Russia at the Asia Pacific direction bears an independent value to my country. Within last three decades South Korea 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.

Within last two decades both Russia and the Republic of Korea have made transition from authoritarian type of state administration to democracy. Allegiance to democracy at home preconditions their mutual allegiance to the democratic ways in the international affairs as well. Hence the similarity of the two countries� approaches to major international issues which presents a substantial basis for Russian-Korean interaction. Both our countries consistently support collective development of measures to confront modern threats and challenges and to advance peaceful and democratic solution of global issues based on international law in the framework of the UN. They both oppose unilateral diktat, double standards, unjustified use of force and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. They both support promotion of global energy security.

Russia and the Republic of Korea 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. My country actively participates in the Six-Party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula expecting that its settlement would become a kind of a starting point in turning Northeast Asia into a region of peace, security and cooperation.

Russia is prepared to make her contribution to the inter-Korean normalization as well. We constantly stand in favour of building bridges between Seoul and Pyongyang. Therefore Moscow welcomed the last year�s Second Inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.

We believe that the inter-Korean rapprochement will be facilitated by implementation of the large-scale tripartite partnership projects of Russia and North and South Korea, such as the international railway corridor �Europe-Korea� and the programs of creating in Northeast Asia an integrated electric power grid as well as a net of pipelines connected with the regions of the Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East. Such long-term projects are destined to strengthen mutual trust and confidence between two Korean states and to provide a new political impetus to the work on settlement of the nuclear issue of Korea as well as to the normalization of the DPRK�s relations with key regional powers.

The developments on the Korean Peninsula will to much extent determine the future of not only Northeast Asia but the whole of the Asia Pacific Area and the world processes. I would like to single out two major moments.

On one hand the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula could create a precedent for settling similar problems in other regions of the world and could become thereby an important contribution to the strengthening of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime.

On the other hand the Six-Party talks represent a case of a multilateral decision-making on a hottest international issue which is utterly important in the present world conditions. It is on such basis only and not by one-sided forceful reactions that we could today stabilize the disbalanced system of international relations and help its deideologization and demilitarization.

I am confident that the Six-Party talks offer at present the best format for working out a peace and security system in Northeast Asia. Such a system may be tentatively based on the following guiding principles.

The Six Parties will abide in their relations by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and generally accepted norms of international law, will respect the existing diversity of political, economic, social and cultural systems of the nations of the region, which is based upon their unique historical experience and national features.

The Six Parties will ensure the settlement of conflicts and crises through political and diplomatic means, with consideration of legitimate interests of all parties concerned. The Six Parties will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other.

The Six Parties will strive to promote better mutual understanding and mutual trust by expanding and intensifying dialogue and consultations on security matters (including joint analysis of existing and potential threats), will apply confidence-building measures and enhance military transparency. The Six Parties will focus on common interests, respect different points of view, strengthen coordination, avoid confrontation, will seek consensus through consultations.

The Six Parties will intensify cooperative actions to combat terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, piracy, illegal migration, the spread of dangerous infectious diseases and environmental pollution, will cooperate an alleviating the consequences of disasters.

The Six Parties will take efforts for greater openness and engagement among themselves in all fields of life, including development of economic cooperation, deeper understanding of each other�s cultures and traditions through dialogue, humanitarian and people-to-people exchanges.

The Six Parties will reiterate that they are open for interaction with all interested nations with the aim of strengthening peace and security in Northeast Asia.

In conclusion let me once again thank Yonsei Institute for Leadership Development for the invitation to address you and to wish the participants of today�s discussion all success.