Today at the Munich Security Conference, the head of the German Foreign Ministry Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated that “all the crises of the world” came to Europe together with refugees, Orhan Sattarov, the head of the European Office of Vestnik Kavkaza reports. The Minister stated that the wave of migration has taught Europe and Germany many things.
“I think many of you were here two years ago, when we discussed the changing role of Germany and its responsibilities. At the time, many people stressed that the feeling of new responsibility lacks foundation. Today we consider our responsibility in an absolutely different way: when the migration crisis started, we realized that this was about certain actions rather than abstract duties. The migration crisis is not a justification for isolation. It is true that the large-scale resettlement of peoples has influenced all levels of life in Germany. And we are glad that we have so many volunteers who help refugees. However, even if everything goes well inside Europe and in negotiations with Turkey, there is one truth – that people are not ready to leave their home and run to uncertainty,” Steinmeier stressed.
He suggested considering the opportunities Europe has to settle the crisis in the Middle East. “Without a resolution of the Syrian conflict, we will have to fight its symptoms in Europe all the time. My point is not isolation, but a higher level of involvement and responsibility. Trying to solve the problem politically, we have found a more or less successful decision for the first time, after 5 years of the civil war and 300 thousand people killed. Only due to these victims, the sides found themselves sitting at a round table, including regional players,” the German Foreign Minister said; it seems he forgot about Geneva-2, which took place two years ago, a few months before Daesh invaded Iraq.
Let us remind you that the meeting of the International Group for Support of Syria took place in Munich on February 11th. A few days ahead of it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the Syrians were suffering from “attacks by Assad’s army and the bombing of Russia.” Moscow responded to this that none of parties which stated about the “aggression” of the Russian Air and Space Forces in Syria had presented evidence for their claims.
Meanwhile, Steinmeier stated that several principles for ending the Syrian war had been developed: “These are the territorial integrity of the state within its borders, building a secular democratic state, development of a road map for humanitarian aid, creation of a Constitution… We spent nine hours in difficult talks which were open, honest, constructive and controversial, but we found a way out as a result. I speak carefully about it. I don’t whether it is a breakthrough or not. I hope we will see trains of humanitarian aid entering Syria,” Steinmeier said.
According to the German Foreign Minister, powerful states must take responsibility for developments outside their borders: “We speak about the role of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia. A lot is said about national interests, ambitions, regional forces. These are urgent problems, but the true power of states is not measured by an opportunity to take responsibility only for their own fates. They must be responsible for the fates of those countries which are situated outside their borders. Today it is necessary to take responsibility for the talks. We have managed to do it here in Munich.”
At the same time, Steinmeier thinks that political processes should be accompanied by additional instruments – political and economic pressure, and sometimes even military interference. As for Daesh, Berlin is ready to use the whole spectrum of foreign political tools – from humanitarian aid to military actions. “We shouldn’t forget that there are peacemaking instruments of the EU (remember the operation in Mali); we are following the difficult way of supporting Afghanistan. We participate in the struggle against Daesh not only in Syria, but we also support armed Kurdish military groups in Iraq. And this involvement has brought successes already – Daesh has lost 20-30 percent of its territory. However, a military victory over ISIS won’t be a guarantor of peace in Syria. We stand for stability in unstable states. Today we will speak with representatives of Libya about the future of the country,” Steinmeier promised.
He admits that diplomats have to answer questions from their societies, which criticize them for inactivity: “We are asked whether we are aware of the horrors which are broadcast on TV from the scenes of the developments. Yes, we are aware of the reality and know what is happening; but clever politicians who are aware of the reality don’t want to accept it. We don’t forget about our goal. We aren't living under the conditions of the Cold War. Those who attentively listened to Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev’s speech understand that he has urged to avoid a new Cold War.”
The German Foreign Minister didn’t answer a question about who was guilty of stirring up the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. “We are trying to find a solution through negotiations. It is difficult; and many people will be disappointed when they see no ideal resolution. But I promise that we will do our best to change the current situation in the world,” Steinmeier stated.
