China, Russia urge to maintain peace, stability on Korean Peninsula
( 2003-05-29 10:30 ) (8)

Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin urged on Tuesday to maintain peace and stability on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

In a joint declaration issued after their talks, the two presidents expressed their belief that to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is in conformity not only with the security interests of both China and Russia, but also with thecommon aspiration of the international community.

The two leaders voiced their opposition to resorting to pressure or military means in solving the problem.

Both sides agreed to guarantee the nuclear-free status of the Korean Peninsula, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and to create favorable conditions for the DPRK's economic development.

　　Hu and Putin stressed that the key to resolving the Korean Peninsula issue lies in the political will of the concerned parties, and that the crisis should be solved by political and diplomatic means.

The two sides also vowed to strengthen their cooperation in maintaining peace, stability and development on the Korean Peninsula.

On the issue of security and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, the two presidents emphasized that stability and smooth development of all countries in the region must be guaranteed.

　　They reiterated their will to continue their efforts in settingup a cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region in order to maintain regional stability and security.

Hu and Putin agreed that the establishment of all kinds of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms should help increase cooperation and harmony in the Asia-Pacific region.

They said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) forum is an important platform for multilateral political dialogue in the region, and its role should be strengthened in maintaining regional security. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of increasing cooperation within the ASEAN forum's framework.

The two presidents also said that the purpose and the principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conform with the world's development trend and with the reality of the region.

President Hu arrived here on Monday for a three-day state visitto Russia.