Translated material
Mandelson March
The British minister came to reconcile Moscow and London
The visit to Russia by British Minister for Business and Entrepreneurship and former EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, which ended yesterday, at the head of a delegation of British businessmen, could be the beginning of a new thaw in relations between the two countries.When asked how many times the British minister visited the yacht of Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska and what exactly he talked about there, the Lord categorically refused to answer. (As you know, the British press accused Mandelson and a number of Conservative Party figures of discussing donations to the Tories from Mr. Deripaska, while parties in the UK, as well as in Russia, are strictly prohibited from accepting money from foreigners.) But according to showed warmth towards Russia that was unusual for official London. Apparently, in the context of the global financial crisis, traditional disagreements over polonium and civil rights are fading into the background. "We could not have asked for a warmer welcome, more serious negotiations and higher-level meetings," Mr. Mandelson said at a news conference following his four-day visit to Moscow.
The tone of his speeches contrasted sharply with everything that Moscow had previously heard from British politicians. “Russia must help reform the global financial architecture to prevent similar crises in the future,” Mr. Mandelson said at a lecture at the Higher School of Economics. “This is necessary not only for long-term stability and strengthening of the international financial system, but also to protect our own national interests.”
Moreover, he considers the world elite to be responsible for the crisis. “It was the mistakes of specific people and lack of experience that let us down, not the markets and the financial system that took decades to develop. Governments did not have time to grasp the changes and how the financial system was transformed by new technologies, in particular the Internet. We needed an early warning system for danger, and it had to be global. After a fight, of course, they don’t wave their fists. Now we need to learn from mistakes,” the minister said at the lecture.
Moreover, Britain is ready to help Russia come to the fore in the new global economic configuration. “For Russia's plans to develop infrastructure, economic diversification and become a major financial center to be fully successful, foreign investment is needed,” says Peter Mandelson. -- The UK is committed to working with Russia in this direction, both today and in the future. The UK and Russia must build a strong partnership through economic integration and social progress. Such a partnership will serve not only national, but also global interests.”
Even those actions of the Russian government that are traditionally criticized in the West have earned its high praise. "My strong impression is that while the government is planning short-term government intervention, this will not become a permanent feature of the Russian economy and government involvement will be minimized in the future," Mr Mandelson said at a news conference yesterday. And the day before he noted that he was “impressed by the decisiveness of the Russian government’s measures to overcome the global financial crisis.”
The Russian-British intergovernmental committee on trade and investment has resumed its work. Its last meeting took place in 2002, but now it will meet regularly. The Committee plans to interact in the field of investment, the fuel and energy complex and in preparation for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
It should be recalled that Lord Mandelson received the ministerial portfolio only recently, and before that he worked as the European Commissioner for Trade. Obviously, the past is still very much alive, and the topic of the World Trade Organization took its rightful place in his speeches. “The most important priority for Russia should be the effective completion of negotiations on accession to the WTO. Now that 90% of the work has been done, we cannot stop on this path; further delay of Russia's accession to the WTO is a potential threat to the progress achieved. The obligations that Russia must assume are not very different from those presented to China, Vietnam and Ukraine. The benefits will outweigh the costs,” he persuaded Russian officials.
During the visit, Mr. Mandelson held talks with First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and the head of Rosnanotech Anatoly Chubais, and held informal meetings with leading experts and financial analysts. A delegation of English businessmen visited Moscow with Mandelson. They, despite the difficult financial situation, are ready to invest in the Russian economy.
According to the minister, the goal of British businessmen is not to buy Russian shares that have sharply fallen in price. “We came here for a long time and came as partners,” he said.