The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, speaks about priorities of the Russian foreign policy.
Russia and APR
If you look at the US, the serious evolution from John Kennedy to Barack Obama took place, when the US president doesn’t visit Europe and pay great attention to the Asian Pacific Region. We see a serious evolution of the USA to the APR, as the APR becomes smithy and workshop of the whole world. Political influence inevitably follows the shift of economic weight and household activity. In due time the UK was a workshop of the whole world, and it ruled the world in a sense. Then a short period of time came when Germany was on top. But after Germany’s failure in the Second World War the USA came to the front stage as the major economic state in the world. The US attempts to hold the palm of victory in the context of the growth of Chinese economy are doomed.
Another question is how much will the balance be shifted toward China in the sphere of economy and politics? The US has its strong sides, and they will try to use them. Nevertheless, the APR is the region of the 21st century. I think the 21st century is not an American century. It will be Asian, even though other centers like the US, Europe, Russia will play a significant role.
Russia and the European Union
What is our position in this direction? I think we hold off at the Western direction of our foreign policy. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and establishing of new Russia the Western direction was a priority in our foreign policy for 18-20 years. The reasons are clear: the West is attractive, Europe is good-looking, the US is strong, as it is a center of technological renovation, financial and economic power. But during these 20 years serious restrictions in our relations with the West were found. The West is an integrated structure. There are two main integration systems: the European Union and NATO. We cannot join any of them. The EU is not ready to digest us, while we are not ready for joining the European Union. It is a fact. If you speak to all serious European politicians, except for Silvio Berlusconi, they will confirm that in the near future there is no opportunity for Russia to be accepted to the EU. They have been discussing for seven years whether Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, and similar states should be accepted or not. They cannot let Ukraine join them. They cannot cope with Greece, Portugal is next… So, to be realistic we should admit that we are beyond the EU. What does it mean? It means we are beyond political Europe, beyond the major political and economic union in Europe. Of course, Europe remains our very important foreign-political and economic partner. 50% of our export goes to Europe. 40% of European import of energy recourses is from Russia. We have four unified spaces – economic, humanitarian, legal, and of security. We are working on the visa-free regime. Europe is our the most important partner, but it is unreasonable to narrow our views only to European horizons.
Russia and NATO
We cannot join military-political Europe too. Military-political Europe is NATO. NATO is a union where all members are equal officially. But as George Orwell said “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” In NATO one animal is more equal than other NATO members. For the United States to access Russia to NATO means establishing the second center of attraction. They won’t let second key nuclear power enter the organization. It is unreasonable for American politics. America will agree to it only if Russia gives its nuclear and military forces under American control. For Russia it means losing of sovereignty in the security sphere, and considering our experience, including the Second World War and the cold war, I think we won’t agree to it under any government.
For the US sovereign Russia in NATO is an instrument of violation of American influence and hegemony. France, the UK, Germany, Poland won’t be happy as well: today they are backing countries of the US in Europe, and in this case they stream back to third positions because two main players would be Moscow and Washington. It has been a disaster for Europe since approach between Brezhnev and Nixon: they were afraid that Washington and Moscow will deal with global questions by-passing Europe. Moreover, we know that an active anti-Russian wing exists in Russia – it is anti-Russian due to historic, ideological, and mental peculiarities. It includes Eastern European countries and the Baltic states. They ran away from Russia to NATO, Russia comes there. It is an awful situation which they would try to prevent. Thus, we cannot join NATO.
Russia and the USA
A week ago the former US ambassador in Israel, Martin Indik, a well-informed person, said that military strikes by the US on Iran will start in early 2013. Immediately a dilemma appears: whether we come with the USA or not? And where do we come with the USA? Here we have certainty. For 20 years we experienced all forms of cooperation with America: we were confronting, we were friends, we tried to be their minor partners, but they demanded too much. As the result we came to the current situation when relations are limited. We have a certain volume of global tasks: the struggle for nonproliferation of nuclear armament, officially – the struggle against terrorism. I cannot say whether it is mutual, but I don’t see any big achievements in this sphere. Then, regional security comes, but unfortunately we have different views on the same regions. That is why I think our relations with the US are full of problems. Obama is a man who admits multiversity of the world. But Romney shares the view that the United States are a leader of the modern world, and everybody who doesn’t agree with it are America’s enemies. Therefore, prospects of Russian-American relations are very difficult on the background of such ideas and views. It means Russia should stay an independent center of force. It is a choice which is made by the international situation for us.
Russia between Europe and Asia
It seems we won’t form any alliances in the East too. China has absolutely no intentions to sign military treaties with us – it doesn’t need them, China has a principle of free hands in the foreign policy. Yes, we do have close relations, we have a strategic partnership, we are allies in several issues, but all this unlikely to be formed in a special document at least in the near future. Russia doesn’t need to go anywhere. Do you remember debates when Pavel Grachyov, the Defense Minister, said that if the West didn’t welcome us, we would go to the East in the 1990s? No, we don’t need going anywhere. We are at the West and the East already. Our European part is Europe, our Asian part is Asia. Our situation enables us being in the center of political and economic development of Eurasia. And Eurasia is a key continent of the world.
