Britain's new government will seek to increase the country's influence in the European Union and strengthen ties with emerging economic giants Brazil, India and China, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday.
Hague said relations with the EU were crucial and had been neglected under the previous 13 years of Labour rule.
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, formed after Britain's May 6 election, has worked constructively with its European partners, surprising those who had expected a strongly Eurosceptic stance, he said.
Hague said putting Britain's finances back into shape was essential to foreign policy success. He also said diplomacy could play a key role in supporting Britain's economy, which is slowly recovering from deep recession.
"It is mystifying to us that the previous government failed to give due weight to the exercise of British influence in the EU. They neglected to ensure that sufficient numbers of bright British officials entered EU institutions, and so we now face a generation gap developing in the British presence in parts of the EU".
The number of British officials at director level in the EU's executive Commission had fallen by a third since 2007 and Britain was sharply under-represented at junior official level, he said.
Labour's years in office were overshadowed by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Britain sent troops to both countries and still has 9,500 troops battling Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Hague also said Britain had an "unbreakable alliance" with the United States.
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