'We prefer to use political and diplomatic means'

Abu Dhabi: Russia's Ambassador to the UAE on Thursday ruled out his country was seeking to revive the Cold War era, as the war of words between Moscow and the West intensified over a nation devastated by war with Russia.

"We were left with no other option but to repulse President Mikheil Saakashvili's military aggression against South Ossetia. We prefer to continue dialogue and cooperation. But it depends upon the goodwill of both sides. It takes two to tango," said Andrey Zakharov, ambassador of the Russian Federation in the UAE.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, the Russian ambassador discusses the reemergence of Russia, the Cold War and what Russia expects from the Gulf in the new era.

Russia's ongoing development and its ability to assert itself as a superpower is a reminiscence of an era that many thought was long gone, but Zakharov disagrees. "Russia is objectively a superpower. So we don't need to re-assert ourselves as such," he said.

As for Russia's influence in the region, Zakharov said: "We are not going to take any military actions in other regions anywhere. We prefer to use political and diplomatic means to settle different problems."

The ambassador asserted that there is no intention to damage the relations between Russia and the West.

He also denied accusations that the war with Georgia was planned to play out to the background of the Olympics.