Azerbaijan, which hosted last year's contest, has traditionally tried to maintain good relations with Moscow though there have been tensions over energy in the past.

BBC: Eurovision: Azerbaijan probes Russian 'nul points'

Mr Biden, who arrived in Georgia after visiting Ukraine, said that while the US was keen to maintain good relations with Russia, certain issues were not up for discussion.

BBC: Biden pledges support for Georgia

Ask any Mexican politician what his country's foreign-policy priority must be, and the response is the same: maintain good relations with the United States and improve the lot of migrants headed north.

ECONOMIST: America's border troubles, north and south | The

In truth, whoever is head of the IMF has to be a diplomat and has to maintain good relations with the world's finance ministers in order to persuade them to stump up the funds the IMF needs.

BBC: IMF �C Backing Plan A or calling for Plan B?

Europeans deliberately looked the other way, conscious of the need to maintain good trade relations with China.

ECONOMIST: Europe in the world

While Britain demonstrates that it prefers international legal conceit to both justice and its bilateral relations with Israel, senior Israeli jurists are making clear that they prefer to maintain their good reputations in places like London over defending the actual legal rights of their country.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Israel's opening to China