Steinmeier: no sense in isolating Russia

The German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants Russia to play a more active role on the international arena.

He said he supported a strategic partnership with Russia in order to resolve the conflict in Libya. The head of the Foreign Ministry stressed that all parties are interested in stabilizing the situation and preventing the militants from strengthening their positions.

"It would be good to overcome the silence. I can imagine us making a serious effort to cooperate with Russia on Libya,’’ Gazeta.ru cites him as saying.

As for the relations with Russia, Steinmeier brought up the successful cooperation on the Iranian nuclear program, as well as the settlement of the Syrian crisis. He also spoke against the "policy of isolation". According to the minister, there was no examples in recent history, when an isolation helped to solve problems.

President of the International Union of experts, Professor Alexander Gusev said in an interview with a ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ correspondent that we should pay special attention to Steinmeier’s words, as the minister is one of the most important figures of the political establishment in Germany today.

"According to the latest German polls, he is in the first place, ahead of Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schaueble. Almost 75% of Germans support him. And I am convinced that he, as a representative of the Social democratic party of Germany, will be nominated by the party to be the next Chancellor. Therefore, the Germans take his words into account,’’ the expert said, adding that Steinmeier’s words are as important for the world community since Germany is the leading European country.

Gusev noted that throughout the last year, Steinmeier has repeatedly spoke of the role and place of Russia in the world politics, stressing the importance of bringing closer together the positions of the leading European countries and Russia in order to ensure the security of the European continent.

"This is a very important day for us. It once again emphasizes Russia's place and role in modern international processes. It is obvious that Russia has increased its involvement in the global affairs through its thoughtful and constructive policy in relation to the processes underway in Ukraine, within the framework of the military operation in Syria, the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the normalization and settlement processes in Libyan Jamahiriya," the analyst said.

"I support the minister’s view and believe that Germany is on the right path. Certainly, Angela Merkel’s position is very different. In fact, he is her subordinate; but today he is so popular in Germany that he can allow himself express such opinion even if it contradicts Merkel’s,’’ political analyst said.

"I support the view of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and I think that Germany is on the right way. Certainly, the position of Angela Merkel significantly odds with the words by the minister of foreign affairs. In fact, he is her subordinate, but today he is so strong in Germany that he can say partial words in relation to the federal Chancellor and hold his own position,’’ political analyst expressed his opinion.

The Deputy Head of the Institute of forecasting and settlement of political conflicts, Alexander Kuznetsov, commenting Steinmeier’s opinion said that his words is the evidence of a certain shift in Russian-European relations, which, however, does not change the overall paradigm.

"Let us recall Steinmeier’s statement on the return of Russia to the G8. He made it in a mentoring manner, mentioning that it can happen only in about a year if Russia complies with certain conditions. Russia on the other hand made it clear that it has no interest in returning to the ‘dead’ format. Nevertheless, from the point of view of the Germans it was a step towards Russia. When it did not work Steinmeier suggested a ‘dual dialogue’ approach in dealing with Russia. It means that we need to discuss both: those things that unite and separate us. In principle, it is a very constructive idea, as it allows Russia to express criticism towards the European Union, instead of just listening to their constant accusations,’’ the expert said.

According to him, the recent statement of the German Minister has to do with the fact that Europe is well aware that the international isolation of Russia has failed. In addition, nobody in the EU dares to say that "Russia is Bangladesh with nuclear weapons," "because they understand the weight of our country in the international relations, as well as the military-political and economic spheres." ‘‘At the same time I would not say that it is a sign that our relations are normalizing. These are just first steps towards a more constructive dialogue,’’ the politician said.