Sergei Tsekov: "Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have serious diplomatic possibilities"

The guest of the program 'Tribune', a member of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, senator from Crimea, Sergey Tsekov. Continuation. Part one – Sergey Tsekov: “We in Crimea learnt to find a common language and respect each other long ago''

- Among the first to support Russia after the tragedies of the ‘Kogalymavia’ airplane in Egypt and the Su-24 in Syria were the presidents of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus. If you recall the exclusion of Russia from the PACE, few countries voted against it, but one of them was the same Azerbaijan. Can Russia, based on the connection with the post-Soviet states, address the global policy challenges that it faces?

- A politician should be multiplied by allies. Russia now finds more and more partners, but retains its traditional allies among the countries that were formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union (except the Baltic states and Ukraine). We are returning to the Middle East, North Africa, which we lost at the beginning of the 1990s in fact. We had to work hard for a long time to restore order in the country. In Crimea we then often wonderes why a Russian region, an integral part of the great Russian world, the cradle of Russian Orthodoxy, is paid so little attention in Russia. Then we said that Russia faces serious internal problems that must be solved in order to return to the ranks of influential states, and after that it will be occupied by us. And so it was. Of course, we never dreamed that our desire to reunite with Russia would be fulfilled in our lifetime.

Similarly, Russia's relations are being built with other countries today. The time has come, and we are regaining our allies and we talk to them as equals. We do not impose any of our values, our vision of what they must do within their own country, understanding that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do". But the European Union and other Western countries impose their vision of domestic policy on other countries, these countries. Russia speaks with other countries respectfully, seeks to give real help, so I have confidence that we have not only returned to a number of very influential and respected countries, but we will gain more and more allies among the other countries of the world community .

- The Presidents of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan first acted as intermediaries for the possible reestablishment of relations between Russia and Turkey.

- Well, they assessed that they would lose a lot in the economy and in politics if relations between Russia and Turkey do not improve. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have serious diplomatic possibilities. They can play a mediatory role in this situation. Although Turkey must take the main steps in the settlement of relations with Russia by itself. If President Erdogan considers himself a statesman, not a politician who pursues his own family interests, it would have been right for him to apologize for what happened in this difficult situation. It would benefit Turkey. Therefore, the intermediaries are good, but, of course, now the main thing should be done by the authorities of Turkey.

- We have a traditional theme ‘From Kamchatka Territory to the Kaliningrad Region’, in which we call on listeners and readers to pay attention to the beauty of our country. Crimea here, of course, stands alone. This is a pearl of the Russian tourism industry. What are the results of the 2015 holiday season?

- I'm a native Crimean of many generations. I was born in Crimea, have been living all my life in Crimea. And I was born when Crimea was still part of the RSFSR, in 1953. In 1954 it was given to Ukraine. Crimea has now returned to Russia, and we are all very happy.

I travel a lot in Crimea, but still do not know it. Not only the southern coast is unique, but the steppe zone, the northern coast, where the movie ‘The Amphibian Man’ was shot. We have the wonderful Sea of ​​Azov, the bays of which were created by nature as if to to ensure that  on each of them tourist resorts and sanatoriums could be built. There's mud of a high quality. Today it is not used, there are only a couple of wooden  resorts that only operate during the summer ...

- Could it be interesting to potential investors?

- Yes. But Crimea is not just a gem of nature, it is an open air museum. The oldest city on the territory of modern Russia is Kerch. It is 2500 years old. In addition, Crimea is a cradle of the great Russian Orthodoxy. In Crimea the baptism of the Holy Prince Vladimir was held. Christianity on the territory of modern Russia was born in Crimea long before the baptism of Prince Vladimir there. We have Orthodox churches whose age is estimated from the period of the III-IV centuries. We have an ancient monastery, which appeared long before the baptism of Prince Vladimir. Orthodox culture has a very serious basis in Crimea, and we do not only have to carry out serious research work, but also to organize Orthodox pilgrimages to Crimea. We go to Jerusalem, to Mount Athos and Orthodox Christians would have to come to Crimea, where Cyril and Methodius preached. It was in Crimea that they created the Slavic alphabet. The spiritual foundations were laid in Crimea, that should be interesting.

The holiday season was successful this year. To date, about 4.5 million travelers came to Crimea. This is 27% more than the previous year. And we expect next year about the same amount. We are working so that the tourism and recreational infrastructure meets world standards. The international situation also contributes to the fact that Russians consider Crimea to be an attractive and safe region. There are problems with service, but they will be solved.