U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks has criticized U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for calling Russia the main geopolitical foe for America, Politico.com reported on Wednesday.
“My message is simple: the Cold War is over; Russia is not our geopolitical foe,” Meeks, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote in an open letter to Romney.
“Rather than strategically counter one another at every opportunity [as Gov. Romney contends], the United States and Russia collaborate strategically on some of the world’s most critical issues,” the Democratic congressman from New York said.
“Together, we fight international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and human trafficking. Russian cooperation enabled the deployment and return of U.S. troops to Afghanistan. In consultation with the United States, Russia prepared for entry into the World Trade Organization,” Meeks said.
Romney said in an interview with CNN earlier in the week that Russia “lines up with the world's worst actors” including Syria and Iran and that it is America’s “number one geopolitical foe”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev quickly responded by advising Romney to “to use his head” before making "Hollywood" style statements.
Romney's criticism was echoed by a group of 43 Republican senators, who signed a letter on Tuesday saying they would oppose any attempt to limit U.S. missile defense capabilities.
Meeks also said: “Together, in bilateral presidential commissions, U.S. and Russian leaders and experts engage in dialogue about human rights, rule of law, trade, environmental stewardship. Americans and Russians visit one another’s monuments and museums and attend one another’s universities.”
He acknowledged certain differences between the two powers but said they should not be resolved through aggressive rhetoric.
“The United States and Russia do not see eye-to-eye on all issues, and our disagreements over the past few months have been significant. The response of our leaders is not to declare ourselves foes. Appropriately, they criticized objectionable [even despicable] policies and actions,” Meeks said.
There is no need for the United States to “erect straw men to knock down.”
“We do not fear the Russians. Increasingly, we work with them to protect ourselves from real dangers,” the congressman said.
In an article published on the Foreign Policy magazine website on Tuesday, Romney strongly criticized President Barack Obama’s “weakness” towards Moscow.
Romney’s attack came after Obama met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Seoul, where he was caught on an open mic asking for more "space" on missile defense and saying that after November elections he would have “more flexibility.”
