Russia to rethink foreign policy strategy...
Russia is opening doors to boost its growing economy in EU, Asia Pacific and Latin America...
WANTED SA - has learned this morning from our law firm stationed in Moscow that in a key meeting with Russian diplomats, President Dmitry Medvedev called for a reorganization of Russia's foreign policy priorities.
In a recent meeting with Russia's ambassadors and envoys to international organizations, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Russian diplomats to shed old stereotypes and concentrate on three major goals: promoting economic and industrial modernization to build an innovative economy; strengthening Russia's democracy and civil society; and boosting international cooperation in the fight against organized crime.
"We should use our foreign policy opportunities more effectively to solve our internal problems and modernize our country, its economy, the social sphere and also the political system,"
The president said, according to the transcript posted on his website.
Medvedev urged Russian diplomats to focus on boosting Russia's multilateral contacts and stimulating new investment. Along with the officials of the Ministry of Economic Development and other economic institutions, diplomats must be aware of all key areas of modernization, from medicine to telecommunications.
"We need special modernization alliances with our main international partners, especially with such countries as Germany, France, Italy, the European Union in general, and the United States,"
Medvedev said. Although he called cooperation with CIS partners a priority, the president placed it after cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region and Russia's colleagues in the BRIC group and expansion into the Republic of Panama and Latin America.
The president's call resounded with Russian diplomats, who have already been taking steps to join the modernization campaign. As Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently proposed introducing a new position in Russian embassies: attaché for science and technology.
Medvedev suggests modernizing Russia's democracy and civil society by means of global reform. In his view, the international community should develop contemporary democracy standards, involving all countries in this process.
"The more nations that follow democratic standards in their domestic policies, the better for Russian democracy," Medvedev said, noting that such standards cannot be imposed unilaterally.
In terms of the fight against organized crime, Medvedev said that terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal migration were global problems by nature, and are typically associated with corruption. "Therefore, this concerns all countries, and, accordingly, our foreign political institutions," the president concluded.
