Russian senator, pundit welcome U.S. Senate confirmation for John Kerry

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(Interfax – Moscow, 30 January: The newly confirmed US Secretary of State, John Kerry, is a clear-headed politician who played an important role in the development of the “reset” (in US-Russian relations), the chairman of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, Mikhail Margelov, thinks.

John Kerry does not think that Russia is America’s enemy, the senator told Interfax. “It is worth noting that he opposed the adoption of the ‘Magnitskiy Act’. Kerry also played an important role in the development of the ‘reset’, in the ratification of the START Treaty. He is not a pro-Russian but a clear-headed politician working in line with the policy of the (US) Democrats,” Margelov stressed.

Referring to his informal meetings with Kerry, the senator noted that he was a refined man, with a sense of humour, able to speak on any topic. “Working with him is easy because he is a well-organized person when it comes to meeting his obligations, even minor ones, such as responding to letters in a timely manner. He has good relations with the Russian embassy in Washington, the Federation Council, and in particular, with our committee,” the parliamentarian said.

But the most important thing is that John Kerry is a professional, he stressed. “His appointment as the chief US diplomat will greatly expand the negotiating framework in our relations, and we do have things to talk about,” Margelov stressed.

The head of the committee recalled that John Kerry headed the US Senate International Affairs Committee for many years. “That is to say, he and I were counterparts and successfully cooperated in the Russian Federation Council – US Senate working group, for example we organized regular meetings of the chairs of the international affairs committees of the G8 countries, thus adding a parliamentary dimension to it, if you will,” Margelov explained.

According to him, the new Secretary of State is one of those diplomats who prefer to work “in the field” and solve problems on the spot. He is an expert in international relations and foreign policy. “His attitude to Vietnam, among other things, is a change in Washington’s attitude to developing countries in general,” the senator added.

He recalled that John Kerry was the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to George Bush Jr. “He is a prominent politician among American Democrats, not only in foreign but also in domestic policy, and, according to experts, he then lost because he made a mistake in choosing the vice-presidential candidate. Had he chosen Republican Chuck Hagel rather than Democrat John Edwards, who lacked the necessary charisma, Kerry could have probably won,” Margelov summed up.

(The chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy (SVOP), Fedor Lukyanov, said that John Kerry was a “very successful” choice for the job, but his appointment would have little effect on US-Russian relations, Interfax reported at 0855 gmt.

“John Kerry is a very well-known person. With his track record, he is probably the perfect candidate for Obama: Respected, moderate, with connections, with an immaculate reputation of a war veteran and a public servant, not prone to any adventures, an adherent of the idea of restraint in foreign policy, that the United States now should behave more calmly and carefully, economically. In this sense, Obama has found a secretary of state fully consistent with his view of what America’s foreign policy should be today… This candidacy would be very fortunate for us. For the USA, as far as one wants not to aggravate relations with anyone, Kerry represents this (stance)… (But) these advantages cannot be used for bilateral (US-Russian) relations, because they are clearly in a stage of divergence. This is not even about a specific conflict but about the growing mutual alienation, mutual perceptions quickly changing in a negative direction. In this situation, even a calm and sensible man like Kerry, or any other Secretary of State, would not be able to change much. The relations are not getting worse, they are somehow fading away today,” Lukyanov said.)

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