By RIA Novosti
Moscow : In what could be viewed as Russia’s New Year resolution, the country’s foreign minister has said Moscow will pursue a constructive policy and will not be drawn into any confrontations in 2008.
“Whatever the situation, Russia won’t be involved in any new confrontations, and will carry out a united foreign policy and promote constructive alternatives to resolve current problems,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.
He was speaking to journalists here about plans and expectations of his ministry over the coming year.
Lavrov said Russia was ready to interact with all partners on an equal basis and in the interests of joint task resolution.
The foreign minister said Russia intends to continue settling urgent international problems together with the UN.
He, however, said that “failures in world politics” would be caused by “unilateral steps by some countries or associations of states, or their attempts to act beyond the framework of international law.”
Currently, the issues such as US-proposed anti-missile defence system in Central Europe, Kosovo’s independence, Iranian nuclear programme, gas supply to the European Union are the major issues that Russia has been at odds with the US, the EU and the other Western countries.