U.K., Russia are now 'a step forward from yesterday' - Miliband
03:39 04/11/2009 LONDON, November 4 (RIA Novosti) - British Foreign Secretary David Miliband appraised his recent visit to Moscow and the meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, saying that Russia and Britain 'today are a step forward from yesterday.'
Miliband, who paid a visit to Moscow on Monday, is the first British top diplomat to visit Russia in five years. Relations have been frosty since the fallout following the death of Russian security service defector Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.
"The best hope for the sort of Russia we want is serious and principled engagement. The statements we signed on Afghanistan, nuclear disarmament and non proliferation, and the Middle East show how much we have in common. We need to work together on Iran. We have a thriving trade and investment relationship which our two governments have a strong interest in promoting," Miliband said in his personal blog posted on the Foreign Office's website.
Other disputes between Russia and Britain have included Russia's pressure on the British Council, the U.K.'s refusal to extradite fugitive Russian businessmen and U.K. criticism over Russia's war with Georgia in August 2008.
"I wanted my visit to add drive and depth to British/Russian relations. That does not mean ignoring difficult issues; but it can't mean taking out one's frustration about those issues by neglecting opportunities for joint work," Miliband said.
In conclusion Miliband said that "It's best not to have illusions. The Russians don't. Their history warns against it. But we need each other, so we'd better make it work. Today we are a step forward from yesterday."
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