International

Ties with CIS top priority, says Putin

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW APRIL 18. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, outlined a strictly pragmatic foreign policy agenda for his country that forfeits global ambitions and emphasises relations with the former Soviet States and Europe as Russia's main economic partners.

The post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is "Russia's topmost foreign policy priority, which is connected, among other things, with winning competitive advantages in global markets," Mr. Putin stated in his annual state of the nation address to both Houses of Parliament on Thursday. The Russian leader also "strongly" emphasised relations with Europe as Russia's No 2 foreign policy priority. "We will continue to work with the European Union with the aim of forming a united economic space with it," he said. Russia's third priority is "to ensure global strategic stability, for which purpose we are participating in the establishment of a new security system, are maintaining a constant dialogue with the United States and are working to change the quality of our relations with NATO."

Recalling Russia's role in destroying a hotbed of international terrorism in Afghanistan as an example of pragmatic policy that "helped strengthen security on Russia's southern borders," Mr. Putin vowed to continue "a strictly pragmatic foreign policy compatible with our possibilities, based on our strategic, economic and political interests and taking account of the interests of our partners, above all, in the CIS."

The Russian President called on the Government to aim at much higher growth rates to enable Russia "to win a place in the economic sun" in a highly competitive world. ``For Russia to become a fully-fledged member of the world community and a tough competitor, the economy must grow at a much faster rate," he said. "Otherwise we will lose out and our possibilities in world politics and the economy will shrink further." Russia's economic growth slowed to five per cent in 2001, after hitting a record nine per cent in 2000, and is set to further decline to around four per cent this year. This is barely enough to keep Russia from falling further behind the West, Mr. Putin said, but is too slow to narrow the gap.

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