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Russia ready to offer positive program of cooperation to US

According to the envoy, Russia stands for maintaining pragmatic, equal and good-neighborly bilateral relations

WASHINGTON, March 5. /TASS/. Russia intends to present a more positive program of cooperation to the US to substitute the "two-track approach," Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said Thursday speaking at the Cosmos Club, the envoy’s remarks are quoted at the Russian embassy’s Facebook page.

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According to Antonov, since Joe Biden took office "the broad outline of the new administration’s policy towards Russia is emerging." "In essence, it is the old two-track approach," the diplomat pointed out. "It implies cooperation with us on the issues of American interest. At the same time the concept of deterring Russia will be used as much as possible."

The envoy underlined, "such approach is not the best option for the two permanent members of the UN Security Council that bear particular responsibility for international peace and security." "We will try to convince our colleagues to change their minds and will also propose a positive agenda of interaction," he added.

"As for the baseless and categorical allegations against Russia, we consistently propose to discuss any claims in a professional manner - on the basis of facts and analysis rather than on assumptions and emotions poured out to the public sphere," the Russian ambassador stressed. According to him, Russia "stands for maintaining pragmatic, equal and good-neighborly bilateral relations." "We do not want to remake the U.S. and bring ideological differences to the interstate ties. We expect the same approach to us from the new administration," the envoy noted.

He also emphasized, "It is time to stop dividing countries into the right and the flawed, the good democratic and the bad authoritarian." "The post-World War II world order based on the UN Charter was built by different states and stipulates the same rights for all countries, irrespective of their internal organization," Antonov recalled. According to the diplomat, the intention to substitute international law "some ‘rules-based order’ determined in the Western capitals" will lead to deterioration of conflicts and loss of manageability of the international system.

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