David Miliband

Foreign Secretary

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Friday 30 October, 2009

Visiting Moscow

I will be visiting Moscow on Sunday and Monday at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.   This is the first full bilateral visit to Russia by a British Foreign Secretary for five years and forms part of a continuing political dialogue with Moscow - shortly after my visit Peter Mandelson will be hosting Deputy Prime Minister Kudrin in London for the bilateral Steering Committee on Trade and Investment.

We don't always see eye to eye with Russia, but we share the same global challenges and it is important that we work on them together.  And as we are both permanent members of the UN Security Council and members of the G8 and G20, there is a wide range of questions where, by working together, we really can make a difference.  

The wealth of people-to-people contacts and the dynamic business links which have grown between Britain and Russia over the last twenty years make political engagement all the more important. While I am in Moscow  I will be meeting representatives of  Russian civil society  -  I look forward to hearing what they have to  tell  me about the issues which matter to them. 

Posted at 16:13 30 October 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[7]

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David; political engagement - that is going to go down really well with the other foreign power that tried to quell Afghanistan by force of arms. They will snigger behind your back. Give it up and take that job in Europe where you can't do any more harm.

Posted by Paul E on October 30, 2009 at 09:30 PM GMT #

As an amateur fortune-teller, with some help from my friend, I predict: Next year, in the spring, the UK will welcome a distinguished visitor from Russia. There will be an important dialogue and the two countries will be closer together in matters of international importance. Right in 11-2009, the two countries will have to meet again on the important matter and it need the consensus of Russia, and you will help implement this, as an acceptable level. Maybe this is related to Iran.

Posted by Linh on October 31, 2009 at 06:21 AM GMT #

Russian civil society and even the Russian political climate, irrespectively how deep the disparity with the west, does contain progressive elements, the potentials plus leverages to come into wider integration in the world. President Obama’s speech at the New Economic School and the wide acceptance in the audience showed the contained desire for progress than living in the cold-war past.

Posted by Chamila Liyanage on October 31, 2009 at 11:44 AM GMT #

Dear David, I've wrote this comment on Sat.,31.Oct.09 to wish you lucky and successfully days because of your Moscow visit starting on Sunday.Hope, that all of the described issues/topics will be satisfactorily for both sides and open new doors within the area of possibilities in re. of the relationship/partnership between Russia and the UK. Best wishes, Ingo-Steven Wais

Posted by Ingo-Steven Wais on October 31, 2009 at 02:08 PM GMT #

Sir, Good to hear this. As one who has been involved in a few educational projects over the last 5 years I am pleased that links could be renewed. I am only a middle manager at Havering College of F&HE - a large Further Education college in Essex - but I have had the pleasure of working alongside the British Council within a number of educational establishments in the Irkutsk Region of Siberia. This would never have happened without the PMI and British Council work. Having the opportunity to work with educators in Angarsk and Irkutsk made me realise that there is so much we have in common, what wonderful people I met and worked with, what wonderful hospitality and enthusiasm for all things British these people displayed. Last July we had the opportunity to host 20 undergraduates from the Moscow State University MADI here for two weeks to undergo some motor vehicle servicing training at our college. A resounding success and hopefully to be repeated and reciprocated. Yes, there have been and no doubt again will be differences at national 'politic' level and I was sad to see the British Council brought into the fray. After all, none of the links we have in educational spheres would really be possible without their excellent help. One thing that perhaps is not always made clear in the reporting is that the excellent workers at the BC both in Moscow and Irkutsk are all native Russian. Russia is still learning international diplomacy, let us not write off the whole nation for errors made on the way. Good luck with the tour, remember that Britain is also not all about large business and international finance. There is as much to be taught and learnt for all. Regards Colin Seabrook

Posted by Colin Seabrook on November 01, 2009 at 06:57 PM GMT #

Russia's infrastructure needs lots of work. In addition to that Russia needs to go back to Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika. I know that is not 100 possible or even .005 but we all can hope. In addition to all that the Caucasus is another thorny issue. Eh, I guess these are nice topics for your current and future talks.

Posted by john smith on November 02, 2009 at 08:23 AM GMT #

Today I predict: David Miliband is the one who can help in Iran issue, but he need to renounce the small advantage to succeed the big deal.

Posted by Linh on November 03, 2009 at 07:01 AM GMT #

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