Security concerns in Europe have especially heightened due to the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo and the U.S. anti-missile plans.

Medvedev Tuesday called Kosovo's independence, backed by many nations, a "sad" event that violated international law, and said the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense facilities in central Europe would undermine security.

MULTILATERAL TIES PRIORITY

In spite of the confrontations with the western nations, Russia has repeatedly called for multilateral cooperation and reform of international institutions to ensure global security.

"I am convinced that with the end of Cold War the underlying reasons for most of bloc politics and bloc discipline simply disappeared," Medvedev said Tuesday.

"It's absolutely essential to identify and resist the attempt of national or group interests to ignore international law," said the president who took power in May.

"The experience of recent years, especially in Iraq and the Middle East, shows that today's global problems cannot be resolved through the direct use of force," he said.

"We need reform of international institutions and a strengthened role for the United Nations. This position of ours remains unchanged," he said.

The Foreign Policy Concept also echoed such an idea by slamming unilateralism and advocating multilateral cooperation.

The United Nations should play a core role in adjusting international relations and coordinating policies, it says.

Russia will actively engage itself in the Group of Eight, a club of industrialized countries, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and other international organizations, it says.

Russia will also enhance cooperation with emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil, it adds.

Only by doing so, can Russia seek to address its thorny issues with the west and regain its influence on the world arena, observers say.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2008)