Talking to the other civs

Hello! Just got the game and it is a LOT of fun, but here is a simple question that has been bothering me. If I want to talk with the AI civs, all I can do is trade with them. Is this right? Seems like i should be able to tell them that I don't appreciate their starbase location or their ship buildup. Or to leave a friend alone, etc... Is this not available or am I just too dense to find the option?

Thanks!!