Russia hopes for better relations with Britain after the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government comes to power, presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Wednesday.
Conservative leader David Cameron took over as British prime minister on Tuesday after Labour Party leader Gordon Brown resigned. Cameron has vowed to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democrat party, headed by Nick Clegg.
"We expect that the new British government will continue those serious developments carried out by their predecessors, and will demonstrate enough political will to improve bilateral relations in the interests of both Britain and Russia," Prikhodko said, adding "this will also contribute to the progressive development of our ties with the European Union."
However, the presidential aide described personal relationships between President Dmitry Medvedev and ex-prime minister Brown as "very constructive and trustful."
Medvedev and Brown regularly discussed various political issues, paying a special attention to the activities of the G8 and G20 groups of countries, he said.
"Unfortunately, interstate relations within a range of important practical directions have not been developed... because of actions by the British side. It even can be said that they dropped to a point close to freezing," Prikhodko said, adding "I mean by this the serious difficulties concerning visa issues and other areas that emerged."
Relations between Russia and Britain were soured by the death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. In 2007, Britain accused Russian citizen Andrei Lugovoi of poisoning Litvinenko, who had received a political refuge in Britain, with radioactive polonium and requested Moscow to extradite him for prosecution.
Russia has refused to meet the request, while reiterating its demand that Britain extradite London-based Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, wanted in Russia on charges of fraud and plotting a coup.
Britain has also frozen negotiations with Russia over the easing of visa requirements for Russian citizens.
Besides this, relations between Moscow and London saw a range of diplomatic scandals and spying accusations from both sides.
ANKARA, May 12 (RIA Novosti)
