U.S. Rep Gregory W. Meeks Responds to Governor Romney’s Characterization of the Relationship Between the United States and Russia

July 31, 2012

U.S. Rep Gregory W. Meeks Responds to Governor Romney’s Characterization of the Relationship Between the United States and Russia

Excerpt: It is the job of leaders and our diplomats to overcome or eliminate those differences
rather than exacerbate them.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Caucus on U.S.- Russian Trade and Economic Relations, released the following statement:
“In his recent comments to CNN’s The Situation Room with anchor Wolf Blitzer about Russia, Governor Mitt Romney has yet again displayed a serious and detrimental lack of foreign policy understanding. By continuing to characterize the U.S. – Russia relationship from a cold war prism he maligns an important allied relationship and disregards years of progress in building a strategic partnership on some of our toughest challenges. With Russia we fight global terrorism. With Russia we work toward stability in Afghanistan and the surrounding region. With Russia we are making progress on nuclear disarmament, and deepening cooperation on trade.

“What Governor Romney fails to recognize is that complex relationships among allies can withstand divergent policies even on matters of grave importance. Acute differences do not necessarily make adversaries. It is the job of leaders and our diplomats to overcome or eliminate those differences rather than exacerbate them. As a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia and founder of the Russia Caucus, I’m deeply concerned that uninformed statements like the ones made by presidential candidate Romney, describing Russia as our number one foe or number one adversary, do nothing to serve U.S interests.” [End]