Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) did not fall prey to NATO vulture Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (left)
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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Mutually Profitable Competition
// The NATO general secretary at the Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin met yesterday with NATO General Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and, in the opinion of Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov, heard the real reason why NATO wants to develop relations with Russia.
The NATO general secretary looks like what he really is – a vulture. Impressive are his loping gait, broad gestures and alarmed glance from under eyebrows so thick that they must not only interfere with his vision, but with his sleep as well. In spite of it all, the general secretary is extremely charming, as charming a vulture searching for small prey in a foreign aerie can be.
Actually, the general secretary himself became the prey of photographers at the Kremlin. He flapped his arms too much as he squawked and hovered over Putin when he introduced him to his colleagues before the start of negotiations.
Putin told the general secretary that, in the ten years since the signing of the basic agreement between Russia and NATO “Russia-NATO relations have changed dramatically during this fairly short period. We have moved confrontation to cooperation.”
The president evidently decided to tactfully leave the last short and stormy period in those relations outside consideration, when they succeeded in reversing everything and going from cooperation to confrontation.
“Naturally, this is a large, multifaceted endeavor and it could not take place without certain problems,” the president added with a nod toward the truth. “We hope that the ongoing Russia-NATO dialogue will contribute to resolving problems in the interests of international security and with a view to strengthening world peace.”
It is amazing how fast they are returning to the rhetoric of the Soviet era. Maybe it is because that rhetoric is full of ideally simple formulae that flow from the tongue after having been forged from many years of battles over positions with potential and past opponents and, although they were forged by life itself, they were polished by death, that is, the threat of the complete annihilation of humanity coming from the NATO hawks and vultures.
“There are two key concepts in our relations,” Scheffer answered. “The first concerns investments and our personal contribution and the second refers to cooperation and communication. First and foremost, we must refrain from looking back.”
Having come to Moscow to celebrate the anniversary, the general secretary was railing against looking back only seconds into his short speech. With a meeting of the presidents of the Russia and the United States coming up, he did not feel it necessary to abide by protocol even in front of the press.
“We must look to the future,” he continued. “I think that there is no alternative to good healthy relations between Russia and NATO, because NATO can not do without Russia and Russia can not do without a partner such as NATO.”
That was the most valuable admission probably ever made by a NATO general secretary. It was seemingly a propos of nothing and unelicited. Obviously, any military alliance will collapse without the figure of an enemy. When the Warsaw Pact disappeared, there were hopes, or worries, that NATO would soon cease to exist as well. But it didn't, because the Warsaw Pact's place was taken not by another alliance, but by a single country.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of June 27, 2007
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