United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has mocked Russia over its foreign policy.
While sharing the screenshot of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweet where it announced its foreign policy, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in a tweet wrote, "April Fool's Day is TOMORROW."
Taking to its official Twitter handle, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described its foreign policy as "peaceful, open, predictable, consistent and pragmatic".
It further said that Russia's foreign policy is based on respect for universally recognized principles.
"Concept of the Foreign Policy of Russia (2023) Russian foreign policy is peaceful, open, predictable, consistent, & pragmatic & is based on the respect for universally recognized principles & norms of international law," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted.
Russia's new foreign policy was adopted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The new 42-page document said that the majority of the European nations pursue an aggressive policy towards Russia aimed at creating threats to the security and sovereignty of Russia.
"Most European states pursue an aggressive policy toward Russia aimed at creating threats to the security and sovereignty of the Russian Federation, gaining unilateral economic advantages, undermining domestic political stability and eroding traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, and creating obstacles to Russia's cooperation with allies and partners," reads Russia's foreign policy document.
With regards to European nations, Russia in the document said, "Objective prerequisites for the formation of a new model of coexistence with European states are geographical proximity, historically developed deep cultural, humanitarian and economic ties of the peoples and states of the European part of Eurasia."
Russia said that the main factor complicating the normalisation of ties between Russia and European states in the "strategic course of the USA."
"The main factor complicating the normalization of relations between Russia and European states is the strategic course of the USA and their individual allies to draw and deepen dividing lines in the European region in order to weaken and undermine the competitiveness of the economies of Russia and European states, as well as to limit the sovereignty of European states and ensure US global domination," reads the document.
The new 42-page document singled out ties with China and India, stressing the importance of "the deepening of ties and coordination with friendly sovereign global centres of power and development located on the Eurasian continent."
According to the document, Russia will continue to build a particularly privileged strategic partnership with India with a view to enhancing and expanding cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances.
Russia has been the largest supplier of weapons to India, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the latter's arms imports from 2016-2020.
"Russia will continue to build up a particularly privileged strategic partnership with the Republic of India with a view to enhance and expand cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances," reads the document.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
