MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. The current relations between Moscow and Washington don't match the commitment to partnership that was enshrined in the Camp David Declaration, which was signed on this day 30 years ago, said Andrey Bystritsky, chairman of the Valdai Club Foundation Council.
He was referring to the declaration that marked the end of the Cold War and a determination by the two countries to build a partnership.
"The current level of relations between Russia and the United States does not correspond to the provisions of the declaration," he told TASS. "Of course, relations should have been much better. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way."
Still, Bystritsky offered a reason for optimism.
"Not everyone will say that today Russia and the United States are sworn enemies," he said. "Yes, they are rivals and competitors, but hardly irreconcilable enemies."
The expert insisted it would be wrong to assume that the declaration was an unmitigated disaster. He said the chill in relations between the countries now is not as bad as the hostility that existed before. "Then, it used to be about fundamental disagreements about the world order," he said. "Now, it's a dispute about equality and international law. It's a dispute that can be resolved, one way or another."
According to the expert, Moscow and Washington could move forward by collaborating in cybersecurity, climate, arms control and strategic stability.
"The question is how prepared the US elite is to look at the world with an open mind and admit that other countries are no worse than the US," he said. "In many ways, the ball is in their court now."
Bystritsky declined to predict whether Russian-US relations could rebound during US President Joe Biden's administration. Disputes between Democrats and Republicans are "absolutely dramatic," and US domestic politics largely define its foreign policy, he said.
"In general, everything could work out," he said. "But there are also a lot of hurdles along the way."
On February 1, 1992, Russian and US presidents Boris Yeltsin and George W. Bush signed the Camp David Declaration, which formally and legally ended the Cold War. The declaration stated that Russia and the US "do not regard each other as potential adversaries," and that the relationship will be "characterized by friendship and partnership founded on mutual trust." It also stated that the countries "will work to remove any remnants of Cold War hostility" and "do all we can to promote a mutual well-being of our peoples and to expand as widely as possible the ties that now bind our peoples."
The declaration set out shared threats to Russia and the United States, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The document ended by saying, "The United States and Russia today launch a new era in our relationship."