Vancouver Declaration: Joint Statement of the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation

who would have been—who the law was designed to affect, then I think that the desire to keep the law will be much less. With regard to COCOM, my guess is, and it’s nothing more than a guess, that the leadership of Congress and indeed my own advisers might prefer to see some sort of phased movement out of the COCOM regime. But I think they would be willing to begin it in the fairly near future. President’s Interest in Russia Q. Mr. Clinton, when I read your speech in Annapolis, I got the impression that you have a completely different personal—and I stress that, personal, not political—approach towards Russia, compared to the approach of Mr. Bush. Could you formulate in a few words what is the difference between you as a personality and your approach—the difference between your approach to Russia and the approach of Mr. Bush? And who made you—why did you cite Akhmatova in the last part of your speech? The President. Let me say, first, I do not wish to compare myself with President Bush or anyone else. I can’t say what was in his heart about Russia. I can say that since I was a boy, I have been personally fascinated with the history, the music, and the culture and the literature of Russia. I have been thrilled by Russian music since I was a serious student of music for more than 30 years now. I have read major Russian novelists and many of your poets and followed your ballet and tried to know as much as I could about your history. And I went to the Soviet Union, but it was then the Soviet Union. You may know, it was a big issue in the last Presidential campaign that I spent the first week of 1970 alone in Moscow, and did not return again until 3 days before Mr. Yeltsin was elected President. But all that time I was away, I was following events there very closely and hoping for the day when we could be genuine partners. So I have always had a personal feeling about Russia. I remember, for example, a lot of you know I like music very much. One of the most moving experiences for me as a musician was when Leonard Bernstein took the New York Philharmonic to Moscow and played Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony to the Russians. And he played the last movement more rapidly than anyone had ever played it before because it was technically so difficult. That is something I followed very closely when it occurred. These are things that have always had a big impact on my life. And I had just always hoped that someday, if I ever had the chance to, I could play a role in seeing our two countries become closer partners. NOTE: The question-and-answer session began at 2:46 p.m. at Canada Place. Vancouver Declaration: Joint Statement of the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation April 4, 1993 Having met in Vancouver, Canada on April 3–4, President Bill Clinton of the United States of America and President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation declared their firm commitment to a dynamic and effective U.S.-Russian partnership that strengthens international stability. The two presidents approved a comprehensive strategy of cooperation to promote democracy, security, and peace. President Yeltsin stressed his firm commitment to fostering democratization, the rule of law, and a market economy. As the United States moves to reinvigorate its own economy, President Clinton assured President Yeltsin of active American support for the Russian people as they pursue their own chosen course of political and economic reform. The Presidents agreed on a new package of bilateral economic programs and measures to address Russia’s immediate human needs and contribute to the building of necessary structures for successful transition to a market economy. They recognized the critical importance of creating favorable external conditions in which the Russian economy can realize its maximum potential. In this connection, the Presidents expressed their determination to promote access to each other’s markets, cooperation in defense conversion,