Medvedev urges Obama to work with Russia on global issues

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to launch a joint effort to deal with global problems. In a seasonal message to Obama released by the Kremlin press service on Tuesday, Medvedev said that Russia and the United States had accumulated valuable experience in cooperating on current international problems. Medvedev urges Obama to work with Russia on global issues "I am sure that at the present time it will be in special demand. I act on the assumption that we will, without delay, start working together along all major lines, taking into consideration the situation in the world and our countries' interests," Medvedev said. Obama is to be inaugurated in Washington on January 20. "You are assuming the post of president of the United States at a trying moment. But I am sure that despite the scale and complexity of outstanding problems, you will meet with success," Medvedev said. He added that he was sure that Russia and the United States would manage to "augment the positive experience in cooperation on the basis of pragmatism and a balance of interests." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in mid-December that Medvedev would meet with Obama shortly after his inauguration. Russia-U.S. relations have been frayed by Washington's plans to deploy elements of a missile shield to Central Europe, Russia's five-day war with Georgia over South Ossetia in August, and NATO's eastward expansion. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently said he expected Russia's relations with the United States to improve after Obama takes office in January. His words were echoed by Medvedev. Obama said earlier this month that he wanted to "reset" relations between Washington and an "increasingly assertive" Moscow. "We want to cooperate with them where we can, and there are a whole host of areas particularly around nonproliferation of weapons and terrorism where we can cooperate, but we also have to send a clear message that they have to act in ways that are not bullying their neighbors," Obama said. Dmitry Medvedev (FoNet, archive)

Medvedev urges Obama to work with Russia on global issues

"I am sure that at the present time it will be in special demand. I act on the assumption that we will, without delay, start working together along all major lines, taking into consideration the situation in the world and our countries' interests," Medvedev said.

Obama is to be inaugurated in Washington on January 20.

"You are assuming the post of president of the United States at a trying moment. But I am sure that despite the scale and complexity of outstanding problems, you will meet with success," Medvedev said.

He added that he was sure that Russia and the United States would manage to "augment the positive experience in cooperation on the basis of pragmatism and a balance of interests."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in mid-December that Medvedev would meet with Obama shortly after his inauguration.

Russia-U.S. relations have been frayed by Washington's plans to deploy elements of a missile shield to Central Europe, Russia's five-day war with Georgia over South Ossetia in August, and NATO's eastward expansion.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently said he expected Russia's relations with the United States to improve after Obama takes office in January. His words were echoed by Medvedev.

Obama said earlier this month that he wanted to "reset" relations between Washington and an "increasingly assertive" Moscow.

"We want to cooperate with them where we can, and there are a whole host of areas particularly around nonproliferation of weapons and terrorism where we can cooperate, but we also have to send a clear message that they have to act in ways that are not bullying their neighbors," Obama said.