Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, in a recent article he has called for Russia to become an "active and respected member of the world community of free nations." This cannot happen until the Russian government faces up to its obligations as per the successor government doctrine of settled international law, whereby the present internationally recognized Russian government must recognize and honor the contractual financial obligations undertaken by its predecessor internationally recognized governments. Prior to 1917 Russia issued more than 16 billion gold francs in government–guaranteed bonds to finance 6.500 km of railway tracks, the electrification grids of St.- Petersburg, Moscow, Tiflis, Odessa, and even, in 1906-07, 320 million gold francs as aid to suffering populations as a result of poor harvest, as well as many more investments . I am offering the opportunity of proving that beyond speech Russia intends to act in order to reclaim respect from the world community of free nations. By officially recognizing the validity of these bona fide claims and opening talks to settle them, Russia could legitimately aspire to gain investor confidence, at a particularly important moment since the president plans to resort to international capital markets in the near future.