Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pointed the finger to the root of all troubles of Russian diplomacy – foreign mass media.
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
The Power of Optimism
// Russia is strong as ever – Sergey Lavrov
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a summary of the country’s foreign policy in 2006 at his traditional end-of-the-year news conference on Wednesday. Mr. Lavrov is convinced that Russia has become a global player, which is vexing its rivals who are trying to make Russia weaker with their “immoral” and “barefaced” actions. Foreign mass media and Georgian authorities with their “foreign patron” have been dubbed Russia’s main ill-wishers.
A Strong Russia
“The role of the Russian factor in international affairs has grown considerably in the past year.” “Russia is becoming increasingly confident of its own abilities. Russia “is able to stand for its national interests.” “Russia assumes more and more responsibility, which shows its big potential.” Russia has become “strong and self-assured.” Sergey Lavrov did not mind repeating one and the same statement about how strong and influential Russia has become. He earlier voiced the idea several times in summing up annual developments. This time around the statement was the keynote and centerpiece of his address.
Breaking the tradition, Sergey Lavrov has decided not to name major achievements of the Russian foreign policy this year. He only boasted that in the outgoing yea, Moscow presided at the Great Eight, the Committee of Ministers at the Council of Europe, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization and the Arctic Council. The four facts were to give examples of the overwhelming influence of Russia.
It is Russia’s enormous clout that has brought troubles – everyone is simply envious, Lavrov says.
Mudslingers
Foreign media were unfortunate to receive a great deal of the minister’s attention and most scathing criticism yesterday. Sergey Lavrov had been harsh on the press before, but it seems that this year journalists have become the key problem of Russia’s foreign relations. “There is a certain trend to present an image of Russia in dark hues,” the minister said. Foreign journalists want to “tip the balance in Russia”, he believes. The reason for the information war that Western media is waging against Russia is to make this country weaker, the Russian foreign policy chief believes. “Criticism sounds louder as Russia is becoming more confident. Perhaps, competitors always wish to weaken their competitor-partners somehow.”
One should note, though, that hostile foreign journalists were not even trying to drive Sergey Lavrov made at the Russian Information Center on Wednesday. Some years ago, the press, especially Georgian and Baltic journalists, used to bother the minister with awkward questions. This year, however, questions were only pleasant ones. Overseas press was interested only in local problems. Four Arab journalists (from Al Jazeera, BBC Arabic Service, Al-Ayyam and the Egyptian television) asked the minister’s onion on Middle East developments. A correspondent from Azerbaijan inquired about results of the Year of Russia in Azerbaijan and the Chinese one was curious about the Year of Russia in China. A journalist from Bulgaria wanted to know the Russian foreign minister’s reaction to a death sentence for Bulgarian nurses in Libya and a correspondent from Latvia asked why Moscow still cannot appoint its co-chair of the intergovernmental commission.
Russian journalists, unlike their foreign counterparts, were not so modest. They blasted the Nazi-friendly regime in Estonia and sneered at “some people in the West” who accuse Russia of neo-imperialism. An NTV journalist, who was the only one to mention Russia’s row with Georgia, worded his question in the following way: “Russia’s relations with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are used to paint Russia in dark hues. Do you reckon this campaign will be continued next year?”
The journalists, picked by the foreign ministry’s spokesperson Mikhail Kamynin, parried such burning issues as relations with Georgia, an blazing row with Poland, the oil and gas war with Belarus, the thorny energy dialogue with the EU, Russia’s threat to walk out of the OSCE, problems with ratifying Protocol No. 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights and others. The trickiest question came from a Danish journalist and lasted ten minutes. It was philosophical, according to the Dane. “Why does Russia turn a deaf ear to criticism from foreign media?” he asked. In response, the minister lashed out at hostile foreign press again.
Problems
One can name problems Russia really had this year by recalling topics that the minister preferred not to mention. In his opening speech Sergey Lavrov did his best to bypass Russian-U.S. relations, but lauded the invigoration of ties with Vietnam, Morocco, South Africa and Latin America.
Yet, it is Washington made possible Russia’s major achievement in 2006 – signing the bilateral protocol on Russia’s accession to the WTO. Nonetheless, the temperature of Russian-U.S. relations has plummeted to new lows this year. Collecting the most memorable events of the confrontation, one should recall U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney’s blunt statements in Vilnius as he accused Russia of blackmailing its neighbors, Washington’s sanctions against Russian arms producers and Gazprom’s decision to send gas from the Shtokman field to Europe instead of the United States.
The Russian minister was brief about relations with the European Union as well. He said, though, that “Russia is ready to cooperate with everyone but only on the principles of equal rights and considering mutual interests.” “Russia’s rapid revival is surprise for some people,” Mr. Lavrov noted. “It may be an unpleasant surprise for some. But we are ready to cooperate with everyone as soon as they are up for it – we take our time.” The minister must have tried to show Russia’s disappointment over a crisis with relations with the European Union. The Kremlin hoped this year that talks with the EU on a new cooperation and partnership agreement would make a landmark achievement, but Poland vetoed the negotiations. Russia’s top diplomat reiterated his statement that this was an internal problem of the European Union, and Russia was not worried about it.
Calling the CIS the main direction of the Russian foreign policy, Sergey Ivanov, however, preferred not to dwell on one-to-one relations with CIS members. Ties with the closest neighbors are getting tangled, though. Moscow is at war with Belarus over the right to manage the Beltransgas pipeline network. It is in dispute with Kazakhstan over the upcoming reform of the CIS. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan threatens Russia with a halt of oil shipments through its territory. On another note, Tajikistan has just denied access for Rusal to the country’s major strategic locations. Conflicts with Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan have already been widely covered in the press.
The Tbilisi regime, however, was honored with a special mention at the end of the news conference. Answering to a question from an NTV journalist, Sergey Lavrov accused Georgian authorities of “immoral” behavior. They “have found a foreign patron and now follow anti-Russia policy,” the minister said. “Instead of looking for a compromise with other sides in the conflict, Georgia is getting militarized, breaching all possible agreements, especially with Abkhazia when the resolution of the UN Security Council was just trampled on,” the Russian foreign policy chief complained.
Targets
The review of the year 2006 was different from previous end-of-the-year pressers with Sergey Lavrov since this time the minister was apparently reluctant to speak about any results of the year. Mr. Lavrov has had a tradition of presenting reports of his work’s results in late January. This year, the event was re-scheduled one month before. The breach of the tradition is probably because the foreign ministry will soon come up with new policy statements.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Sergey Lavrov recalled President Putin’s meeting with Russian diplomats this summer where the president requested them to hold a comprehensive survey of Russian foreign policy. The minister reported yesterday that the president’s order was almost accomplished, and the public would soon learn results of the Russian diplomat’s research. Sergey Lavrov may be expected to give Russian citizens a new concept for foreign policy, commissioned by Vladimir Putin, early next year. Russia with a new view of an emerging global power is sure to pronounce a new foreign policy course. Considering Sergey Lavrov’s highlights in the Wednesday address, the national policy will pay less attention to the West but turn to other partners such as China, India, Brazil, Asian countries, Africa and Latin America.
Mikhail Zygar
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 21, 2006
|
|
|
