Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivers his annual state-of-the-nation address in the Moscow Kremlin, on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Sergey Ponomarev)

MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev is assuring the West and the rest of the world that the Kremlin wants co-operation, not confrontation, hinting that the frequently aggressive tone of his predecessor Vladimir Putin is not the right fit for Russia as it tackles the top-priority task of economic modernization.

In an article for an annual supplement to the British magazine The Economist, Medvedev said Russia is seeking "stronger, more friendly" ties with its partners. The article, posted on the Kremlin Web site late Friday, echoed remarks in Medvedev's state of the nation speech a day earlier, but this time the target audience was outside Russia.

Medvedev said Russia's "growing ambitions" have caused alarm in the West in recent years - a veiled reference to Putin's strongly assertive stance.

The global economic crisis "brings the opportunity to sensibly and rationally evaluate one's own international strategies and the risks emerging from other states," he said - both a suggestion that Moscow is shifting to a more constructive approach and a call for Western nations not to make a bugbear out of Russia.

Medvedev said Russia, which chilled Europe by cutting off natural-gas supplies to transit nation Ukraine last winter, will "continue to be a reliable source of energy and other raw materials," and stressed that the economic well-being of customer nations is important for Russia's own fortunes.

The message: Russia is a partner, not a bully. It needs co-operation the West and other nations to help fuel its own efforts to reform an economy hampered by reliance on energy exports and held back by outdated infrastructure and attitudes left over from the Soviet era.

"The task of modernization of the national economy requires that we remain large importers of new equipment, technology and services," Medvedev said. "In other words, Russia sees itself as part of the global trade system, and wants to build stronger, more friendly and comfortable relations with all our partners."

He said Russia hopes to conclude talks on accession to the World Trade Organization next year.

Medvedev had praise for the United States, a frequent target of Putin's ire when he and George W. Bush were the presidents of the former Cold War foes, welcoming Washington's own less assertive tone in global relations.

World powers should focused "on strengthening global security, rather than securing the dominance of any particular nations," he wrote. "We welcome in this respect the evident willingness of the current U.S. administration to follow this route."

In his state of the nation speech Thursday, Medvedev laid out his plan to move Russia's economy into the modern age and called for a "pragmatic" foreign policy aimed at attracting investment and improving living standards.

The shift in tone does not seem to signal a break with Putin, who manoeuvred Medvedev into the presidency last year and is still widely seen as holding Russia's reins as prime minister. Analysts say that along with the economic modernization drive, Medvedev say his mandate from his mentor to balance out conservative forces in Russia's hierarchy and present a more liberal face at home and abroad.