MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Monday for the formation of new alliances with the United States and the European Union to stimulate trade and investment in one of his boldest foreign policy statements.

Signs of a new softer foreign policy toward the West have been growing since the global financial crisis exposed Russia's dependence on oil and gas exports, highlighting the need for an influx of foreign capital and technology.
Medvedev made the country's modernization one of the pillars of his presidency, and there was a notable shift from the Cold-war era anti-Western statements of his predecessor Vladimir Putin to sweet-talking foreign partners and investors.
“We need special alliances for modernization...first of all with Germany, France, Italy, the EU in general, and with the United States,” he said during a speech to Russian ambassadors that takes place in Moscow every two years.
The center of Medvedev's foreign policy has been a “reset” of relations with the United States, which had deteriorated in recent years, culminating in the signing of a major new nuclear arms control treaty in April.
Medvedev last month visited Silicon Valley to try to increase cooperation with Washington in technology and innovation.
“My visit to the United States showed that the cooperation in the sphere of innovation can create a positive agenda in our relations,” he said. “Our cooperation cannot be limited to missile reduction.”
Moscow and Washington last week quickly defused a spy scandal by swapping 10 alleged Russian agents operating in the United States with four spies serving jail terms in Russia. Both sides said they believed the incident would not undermine the reset in relations.
In May, a leaked Foreign Ministry document that was published by the Russian edition of Newsweek magazine called for a less confrontational foreign policy and listed 61 priority countries for relations.
These include the neighboring Baltic republics -- where it says cheap assets are for sale -- and key EU business partners Germany, Italy and France, but also big Russian arms clients such as India, China and Venezuela.
Photo: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
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