The 12th Annual Meeting of the International Debating Club ‘Valdai’ in Sochi finished with a three-hour speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The well-known political scientists Fyodor Lukyanov, Nikolai Zlobin, Alexander Rahr and Timothy Colton told Vestnik Kavkaza about the results of the forum and discussed the importance of the President's speech.
The scientific director of the International Discussion Club Valdai, editor-in-chief of the Russia in Global Affairs magazine, Fyodor Lukyanov, praised Vladimir Putin's speech as very meaningful. "The president clearly outlined all the priorities that have been identified earlier. The most emotional part was devoted to Syria, when he told about the officers who are fighting there, calling them heroes. Of course, it is very important that, in parallel, he said that the military scenario is a prerequisite for a political solution," Lukyanov stressed.
"Of course, there are things that can be improved. But in general, we are satisfied," the scientific director of the International Discussion Club Valdai noted.
The president of the Center for Global Interests in Washington, Nikolai Zlobin, in his turn, stressed that Putin's speech at the Valdai meeting sounded much more positive than his previous performances at international venues. "It was more positive and aimed at cooperation than, for example, his speech at the UN or his speech last year at the Valdai meeting. Now, I think the president has shown a willingness to cooperate with the United States, the countries of the Middle East and Europe in the fight against terrorism," Zlobin admitted.
According to him, it was the first time the president has shown a high level of optimism and confidence in the fact that Russia's actions in Syria are correct. "It was clear that Putin sees light at the end of the tunnel and he has the political will to reach it. I think this was important to hear, not only for Russian citizens, but for the whole world," the president of the Center for Global Interests in Washington believes.
Nikolai Zlobin also drew attention to Putin's phrase "about his street experience, that if a fight's inevitable, you must strike first" "He elegantly finished it with the idea that we must beat them better there, otherwise they will come and beat us here," the expert concluded.
Nikolai Zlobin added that the 2015 Valdai meeting was important because, unlike many international conferences, it didn't discuss private incidental matters. "In my opinion, Ukraine and Syria are just elements of a major systemic restructuring. And we have discussed this during the meeting. In this regard, the forum is unique. We discuss strategy and not tactics," Nikolai Zlobin stressed.
The Chair of the Department of Government at Harvard University, Timothy Colton, said that Putin is in very good shape. "We were all tired by the end of the president's long speech, but he did not seem tired. He is very good at it. Putin spoke not only on Syria but also about US-Russian relations, defending the position of Russia. On Ukraine he said that Russia complies with the Minsk agreements, but it must be carried out by both sides," Timothy Colton noted.
The scientific director of the German-Russian Forum, Alexander Rahr, added to the above that "Putin understands that the Valdai meeting is a good format, through which, in fact, we can refer to Western and Asian society," Rahr said.
"It was important to hear the statistics and analysis of the Russian President, who confirmed that the Russian economy is still not in good shape, but Russia is getting out of the crisis," the expert added.
Alexander Rahr admitted that these three days showed us inside Russia. "There are no other such forums: we have discussed everything – geopolitics, economics and the values we share. I think that this format is very important, and I hope that the Valdai Club will continue its work," the scientific director of the German-Russian Forum stressed.
