Written evidence submitted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Government takes a fully coordinated approach to the development and implementation of Russia policy, under the auspices of the National Security Council. All relevant Government Departments are involved in discussing and shaping policy towards Russia. There are a structured series of cross-Whitehall meetings to ensure coordination and coherence between Departments. The UK Strategic Defence and Security Review set out the long-term challenge posed by Russia and the Government’s response.
The Government’s objectives are to protect UK interests and those of our allies and partners; to uphold the rules-based international order in the face of Russian challenges; to engage with Russia on global security issues and in key areas of shared interest; to promote our values, including the rule of law and human rights; and to build stronger links between the British and Russian people more widely.
2. How is British policy towards Russia formulated in the UK:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate (EECAD) has the lead responsibility in Whitehall for developing the Government’s Russia policy, and is responsible for advising FCO Ministers on Russia policy. As set out above, the FCO coordinates closely with other Government Departments under the auspices of the National Security Council.
Senior officials from all relevant government departments meet regularly to ensure policy coordination and coherence.
Russia will remain a key foreign policy priority for the long term and this underlines the importance of continued investment in country and regional expertise within Government Departments. Over recent years the Government has sought to align its expertise with the complexity of issues relating to Russia, and we now have dedicated resources across government focussed on Russian defence, energy, and national security issues. We believe that our current level of expertise is sufficient at this time.
Following the Ukraine crisis, the FCO’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate (EECAD) was reinforced through the appointment of an SMS1 Additional Director and a range of roles in the delegated grades to reflect the new business need.
The FCO’s Eastern Research Group (which forms part of the FCO’s Research Cadre) is a formidable body of long-term Russia analytical expertise in Whitehall, with wide-ranging reach into UK and international academic and analytical communities. It plays a crucial role in informing policy.
In 2015 the FCO launched an Eastern Europe and Central Asia cadre of officials, already counting 400 members. This “EECADre” is designed to pool experience and ensure that we continue to strengthen our capacity and skills over the long term and that officials working on this region have the support and skills to lead first class foreign policy towards Russia and the region. It is also intended to strengthen the message that Russian expertise can serve as a rewarding career anchor within the FCO.
The FCO relies upon both in-house and external expertise in order to develop well-balanced, evidence-based policy. Many EECAD officials have in-depth Russia expertise and previous experience working in or with our posts in Russia and across the former Soviet Union. Since 2010 we have also increased the number of Russian-language speaker positions in our Russian posts and the former Soviet Union by 30% and increased the minimum duration for Russian-language training from 11 to 14 months.
Key individuals have considerable Russia experience. Her Majesty’s current Ambassador to Moscow, Dr Laurie Bristow, served previously in Russia as Deputy Head of Mission from 2007 – 2010, and went on to serve as EECAD Director from 2010-2012. The current FCO Political Director, Sir Tim Barrow, who has overall responsibility for FCO policy towards Russia, served as Ambassador to Moscow from 2011-2015.
The FCO draws extensively on the views and judgements of external Russia experts. There is a quarterly meeting with such experts (sometimes chaired by the Minister for Europe). The Eastern Research Group run a seminar series “Understanding Russian Foreign Policy” with invited speakers. The Russia Institute, King’s College London, runs an annual course for the FCO. EECAD also participates in seminars and exchanges organised by external expert centres such as Chatham House, RUSI, IISS and other UK universities. Wilton Park, the FCO’s forum for foreign policy discussion, conducts a large number of conferences with themes that touch upon Russia and through which FCO officials and external experts are able to interact.
The Government’s strategy towards Russia is based on a thorough analysis of the challenges and opportunities that Russia presents to the UK national interest. This analysis in turn takes careful account of our understanding of how Russia sees the issues, and the ‘World View’ of the current regime in Moscow. The Embassy in Moscow provides extensive reporting into Russian Government thinking and approaches.
We have set out our policy towards engagement with Russia in the FCO submission to the Foreign Affairs Committee for their inquiry into the UK’s relations with Russia and, more recently in a speech by Mr Ellwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, in a parliamentary debate on Anglo-Russia relations on 4 May 2016.
Engagement and dialogue are vital components of our strategy. Despite the challenges, we continue to pursue cooperation, where necessary, in areas of shared interest. The Iran nuclear negotiations are a good example of where we and international partners have been able to work together with Russia towards a common goal. It is also crucial that channels remain open during times of tension so that we minimise the scope for misunderstandings. We therefore maintain regular contacts with Russia on a range of issues at Ministerial and senior official level, in London, in Moscow and in various multilateral fora. Naturally, as we engage, we remain firmly focused on the UK national interest and mindful of the need to maintain a strong, united international response to Russia’s violations of the rules-based order.
As our submission to the Foreign Affairs Committee made clear, the Ukraine crisis and the Litvinenko Inquiry have underlined the profound challenges in the UK’s bilateral relationship with Russia. We are concerned at the direction in which Russia is heading with regard to the rules and values that could make it an effective and productive partner for the West. Russia’s domestic and external policies in recent years increasingly point to its rejection of the norms and principles that underpin international security. Our strategic approach needs to ensure that we maintain a strong and united response to Russia’s transgressions. Nonetheless, our aim is reduce tensions. We will continue to advocate a balanced approach, engaging in areas of shared interest, and working in lock step at all stages with key partners and allies.
We are keen to ensure that, despite political and diplomatic difficulties, we continue to engage productively on cultural and scientific cooperation, building on recent successes such as a reciprocal Year of Language and Literature and the successful Cosmonauts Exhibition in London. Russia remains an important market for the UK. We continue to offer support and advice to UK companies looking to invest in Russia, provided they are complying with EU and other sanctions legislation.
Our long term objective is a better and more cooperative relationship with Russia in which we are able to engage productively together on shared international concerns. If Russia changes course, then its relations with the UK and others can improve. In the meantime, relations with Russia must be based on a hard-headed assessment of our core interests and a clear-eyed understanding of the Russia we are dealing with.
23 May 2016