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Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on Bush's election victory, November 8, 2004

Transcript of the Interview Granted by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov to the Channel One Vremya Program (Moscow, November 8, 2004)

2359-09-11-2004

Question: George Bush's victory in the elections to some extent has made the tasks of Russian diplomacy easier, in the sense that there's no need to establish new contacts and there's no need to devise new lines of behavior with the new US administration. Am I right or wrong?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: The main thing for us in relations with the United States as a leading world power and our strategic partner, on relations with whom the condition of international security largely depends, is to keep up the positive dynamics that were achieved over the last four years. These relations have indeed reached a qualitatively new level. It is the level of partnership, of strategic partnership, and in such an area as the fight against terrorism - de facto allied relations. This is our common achievement. Of course, it is very important to protect it from any manifestations of expediency.

Needless to say continuity in this case is ensured. We presume that for all the differences, which are inevitable because both our sides are guided by their national interests, the level of cooperation reached makes it possible openly, on the basis of mutual trust, respectfully towards each other, to consider any issues and have many of them solved. Therefore we hope that it is in this spirit that our partnership will continue during President Bush's second term as well.

Question: Is it possible to call Bush's victory a defeat for Al-Qaeda and the forces of international terrorism?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin spoke on this topic. Undoubtedly, leaving aside what was before the start of military actions in Iraq, there's no doubt that at this stage international terrorists exploit the Iraqi situation in their interests and are trying to find an additional reason to justify their actions and recruit new supporters. Particularly indicative in this sense was the statement of Osama bin Laden three days before the vote in the US, in which he called on Americans not to vote for President Bush. But, as you know, Americans did otherwise.

Question: What will be the determining factor in the next four years in Russian-US relations? What key problems are on the agenda?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: The key problems of the agenda were set by our Presidents at the summits at Camp David and Sea Island, who there gave utterly substantive joint directions to the appropriate agencies of the two countries. They concern the broadest range of problems, encompassing practically the whole international agenda and, of course, bilateral relations. In the international domain it is, above all, the struggle against international terrorism, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and conflict settlement. Cooperation on these issues between our countries has a decisive significance. On terrorism, unquestionably, it is necessary to act more specifically and in more practical terms. This involves, first and foremost, the identification and liquidation of terrorist cells, which will require the most intensive contacts between many agencies and services. It is cutting off channels of financing for terrorism. It is getting rid of double standards in this field.

I shall note that all these questions are set forth as the objectives for the world community in UN Security Council Resolution 1566, which was adopted in October on Russia's initiative. It was adopted by consensus with US support. This gives grounds to expect that now we have an additional international legal basis for decisive actions jointly with all other states. In the field of WMD nonproliferation we cooperate not only within international organizations, not only in the context of resolving the North Korean nuclear problem, not only in the context of dialogue on a political settlement of the questions that arise in connection with the Iranian nuclear program, but also collaborate in carrying out practical measures, such as identification of illegal supplies of components which can be used for the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction. There is the so called Proliferation Security Initiative. Russia is a full-fledged participant of this initiative. In the last few days our naval ships have been joining an operation that is being conducted in the Mediterranean, the so called Active Endeavor, which is also largely associated with the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. I shall mention in this connection where the Black Sea basin is concerned - there operates the Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Force (Blackseafor), which incorporates the Black Sea states. At the Blackseafor member countries' recent meeting in Moscow, it was decided to use the potential of this task force to carry out the same tasks. So that we shall have coordination here with the efforts being made in the Mediterranean as well.

The Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, which was signed in Moscow two years ago, makes a contribution of no small importance to stabilizing the world situation and solving the tasks of nonproliferation. Characteristically, on the day when President Bush's election for a second term was announced, the UN approved by consensus a Russian-US resolution in support of the processes of bilateral reduction of the nuclear arms of Russia and the United States. Bilateral relations are a whole complex of most specific projects. Among them those aimed at the intensification of our cooperation in the field of high technologies, including space and investment cooperation, particularly in the energy field. The energy dialogue between Russia and the US occupies an ever more important place in our relations. I shall stress that we, like the Americans, are very interested in these agreements being propped up by a more solid foundation via the development of relations between people, public organizations, parliamentarians and, naturally, business circles.

Question: Are there any problems in relations between Moscow and Washington which at this moment are unsolvable, that is on which it is impossible to reach a compromise?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: I do not think that there are any such problems. There are problems which, as I already said, are the subject of differences in the approaches of our countries to their solution. But the assessment of the threats and risks which exist today in the world and which face Russia and the United States is practically the same. It is terrorism, WMD proliferation and conflicts in various regions of the world, that is what adds to instability. Here our assessments coincide. As far as the approaches to solving these problems are concerned, they in many cases are quite identical or compatible, and in other cases they coincide. But, I repeat, there are no unsolvable problems in our relations.

Question: Why is it that one of the weakest, undeveloped links between Moscow and Washington is the economy? What's the reason?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: I do not think that this is one of the weakest links. Dialogue on these issues is going on not just in words, it is developing and becoming translated into practical projects. I have already mentioned the energy field. The United States is the largest absolute investor in the Russian economy. Of course, in the total US overseas investments this is a small portion, and in comparison with US investments in China it is but meager sums, but in the absolute volume of investment in Russia among foreign states the US holds a leading position. I think that now we observe the very same period when the accumulation of a positive potential for the rapid growth of economic cooperation is about to end, and we shall see some serious changes. At least, I yesterday spoke with American representatives who work in the Russian market, these are serious companies which invest only in the real economy or the field of services, and it is real investments which are backed by guarantees of the US Export-Import Bank. By their estimates, an additional flow of investments to Russia is to be expected. They are showing very considerable interest in this, and an indicator is the fact that the amounts and guarantees of the Export-Import Bank, which were given them less than a year ago, have already been exhausted and they have applied for new guarantees. So that I am rather an optimist in this field, than a pessimist.

Source: Russian Embassy to the United States, http://www.russianembassy.org.

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