PRIMAKOV’S PRIORITIES.

In a recent interview, Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov listed among his top priorities the establishment of the foreign ministry as the coordinator of Russian foreign policymaking, good working relations with the parliament, and a projection of influence consistent with Russia’s status as a great power. Primakov also called for constructive relations with Ukraine based on mutual respect and spoke of his absolute loyalty to the president. He again emphasized Moscow’s opposition to NATO expansion and advised Eastern European countries to seek security guarantees that did not involve "an advance of NATO’s infrastructure to [Russian] borders." Primakov allowed that Russia’s assertion of itself as a great power would likely be a source of irritation to established western powers. By nature and conviction, Primakov is more akin to the hawkish figures now close to the president than was Andrei Kozyrev and seems a better bet to bring some order to the policy-making process. (12)

Moscow Delays Nuclear Weapons Accords.