UK-Russia relations: 'Dialogue but be cautious'

(Baonghean.vn) - A new period that promises many "sweet fruits" in the relationship with many ups and downs between England and Russia is opening up, although there are still some opposing views that cannot be resolved overnight.

Looking forward to cooperation

UK-Russia relations are “going through their busiest period since the end of the Cold War”. A “signal of thaw” in the relationship between the two sides.

On March 2, both the British Parliamentary International Committee and the British Foreign Office released reports assessing the UK-Russia diplomatic relationship. Accordingly, the reports pointed out that the lack of dialogue with Russia is a “short-sighted policy” of the British Foreign Office. Therefore, it is necessary to build “regular and quality” dialogues with Moscow to promote bilateral cooperation.

According to the reports, Britain should cooperate with Russia in areas such as counter-terrorism, intelligence, cyber security, and ensuring flight safety.

In the report of the British Parliamentary International Committee, it was affirmed that Russia is not an enemy of the UK. And the British people believe that the presence of Russia is indispensable in solving problems of global scale. Photo: Ria Novosti

To realise this plan, the Foreign Office will invest in a system of analysis on Russia to produce effective and meaningful policies. In particular, the Foreign Affairs Committee will increase interaction with Russian advisers, experts, political and economic leaders, and provide Russian language training for British diplomats. There may even be a Deputy Foreign Minister responsible for Russia.

Peter Trusscott, British Lord, declared: “Russia is not Britain’s enemy. It is time for us to build a strong and lasting bridge with Russia. Let’s cooperate with Russia, instead of abandoning it.”

In economic relations between Russia and the UK, in recent years, although the UK has continuously imposed sanctions on Russia, British businessmen have invested heavily in the Russian economy, built joint enterprises and developed bilateral projects. On that basis, both Russia and the UK now see that normalization of relations is beneficial to both countries.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the long-standing historical relationship between Russia and the UK proves that there are no longer any reasons to hinder the rapprochement between Moscow and London, as well as the possibility of coordinating activities between the two countries to build a stable and unified Europe. The political dialogue between the two countries is being promoted in the hope of overcoming the legacy of the "cold war". In particular, the economic factor is the key to the rapprochement between the two countries.

"Dialogue but always be vigilant"

Besides the positive signals, the policy of "dialogue but always vigilance" is still the British government's approach to Russia.

On March 4, the British Foreign Office announced that, at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will visit Moscow next week. This is the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to Russia in the past 5 years.

"The UK continues to be tough on issues of major difference such as Syria and Ukraine," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will visit Moscow next week. Photo: AFP

There is no denying that there are still “deep concerns” between Britain and Russia regarding Ukraine. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has asserted that Russia’s occupation of Crimea was illegal and that Crimea should be returned to Ukraine.

All the “difficulties” have been heightened since the West accused Russia of being behind the conflict in eastern Ukraine, of which the UK was still a key member. While all the suspicions have not been resolved, the tension between Russia and Ukraine has “heated up”. All suspicions are focused on the presence of all kinds of weapons along the contact line in Donbass. Among these, many types have been confirmed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to have violated the provisions on withdrawing heavy weapons in the Minsk Agreement. The UK side declared that sanctions against Russia will not be eased until the country complies with the Minsk Agreement.

The government of President Vladimir Putin has never intended to compromise in a way that would sacrifice Russia's interests. In the context of the EU facing many challenges and the changing situation of the world political arena, especially with Moscow gaining advantages in the Middle East, it is inevitable that Russia will continue to pursue its goals in the Ukraine issue.

Although there are still disagreements and many complex issues that need to be discussed, the seeds have been "sprouted" in building a peaceful and friendly relationship between the UK and Russia. In the context of the "resetting" of relations between Russia and the US, Russia and NATO, with the upcoming visit of the British Foreign Secretary, it is hoped that we can build relations and dialogue in an open and frank manner between two countries of particular importance to building a safe, stable, cooperative and long-term developed Europe./.

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