#10
Gazeta
December 6, 2001
PUTIN: RUSSIA IS NOT ANGRY, NOR IS IT LEAVING - IT IS
CONCENTRATING
Excerpts from Vladimir Putin's interview with the Greek media
Author: not indicated
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]
IN THIS INTERVIEW, PRESIDENT PUTIN DISCUSSES THE AFGHANISTAN OPERATION, TERRORISM, MISSILE DEFENSE, AND RELATIONS WITH THE WEST. HE TALKS ABOUT RUSSIA-NATO RAPPROCHEMENT AND CLOSER COOPERATION WITH EUROPE. PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE.
Question: Many capitals were surprised to hear of Russia's unconditional support for the actions of the global coalition, including the military operation in Afghanistan. Do you like the way the operation is unfolding? What part does Moscow plan to play in the decision on the future of Afghanistan?
Vladimir Putin: I met with one of the most prominent Islamic leaders not so long ago. He said among other things that no one noticed that the Islamic world had been waging a war on fundamentalism and extremism for 50 years already. It is just that the world has never noticed it. Moreover, the world all but ignored the growing threat of terrorism this past decade.
We talk of September 11, these horrible terrorist attacks... Special services are blamed for missing something. They are said to have failed... Secret services are accountable, of course, but this is not their failure. This is failure of the foreign policy of the Western community which never became alert to the depth of changes in the world and never turned to the real threats and dangers.
How has the operation been unfolding? I think we all can be satisfied with it. All objectives the counter-terrorism coalition sets out to accomplish are accomplished on time. We see what happened to the Taliban resistance. We see that the process of normalization in Afghanistan is gradually shifting onto the political plane etc, etc.
Russia backed up the counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan because it saw the operation as the only way of rooting out this dangerous source of instability.
The Taliban has been defeated but I do not think we can feel euphoric yet. The Taliban has retained enough manpower and military hardware to regroup and switch over to guerrilla warfare. That is why a political settlement in Afghanistan is of unprecedented importance now.
Russia wants to see Afghanistan an independent and prosperous state, free of terrorists and traffickers, a state living in peace with its neighbors, a state observing rules of conduct accepted by the international community. It is with this purpose in mind that Russia is prepared to assist the political settlement in Afghanistan with the UN playing instrumental role. As for the statements concerning possibility of airstrikes at rogue states, I'd like to chalk them off to emotions and rhetorics.
Question: September 11 created an entirely new situation around the world. What with the Russia's rapprochement with the United States and the European Union and Moscow's consent to American military presence in the strategic Central Asian region, what are priorities of the Russian foreign policy nowadays? There is a global war on terrorism. Do you think the UN and international rules and standards will retain their central role or is everything going to be unilaterally decided by the strong?
Vladimir Putin: Russia encountered the problem of terrorism before the rest of the world. We have been urging our partners to pool effort in the war on the evil.
The world has finally appreciated seriousness of the danger and is discussing ways and means of its neutralization. All this attaches additional importance to the coordinating mechanisms of the UN. We believe that the work on further improvement of the international legal regime on the basis of 12 counter-terrorism conventions should continue under the UN aegis. All necessary means and levers should be used in the war on terrorism - political, economic, and even perhaps strength with UN permission.
Russia steadily advocates establishment of a global system of prevention of new threats and challenges. Russia is prepared for interaction with all states and international organizations including NATO and the European Union.
As for American military presence in Central Asia, we should bear in mind that doing away with international terrorism in Afghanistan is number one task now. Every country, CIS states included, decides for itself what forms its participation in the counter-terrorism operation should take. Moreover, we bear in mind the Americans' assurances that permanent military presence in Central Asia is not in the United States' plans.
Question: Russia drifted much closer to the West and particularly to the United States in the wake of these tragic events. Your recent visit to America reiterates this assumption. All the same, there are unsolved problems - missile defense for example - Russia considers strategic.
Vladimir Putin: Russia has always viewed the ABM Treaty as a cornerstone of international stability and security. Among other considerations, the treaty provides a foundation for a great deal of other accords and agreements in the sphere of security. That is what primarily concerns us, not our own security. Security of Russia as such is not going to be affected by implementation of the plans of the US Administration. Not in the next decade at least. We have enough armaments of a level and quality to pierce any national missile defense system. That's item one.
Item two. We do not think that the major threats nowadays are presented by ICBMs against which this national missile defense system is supposed to be deployed. We all know exactly how New York and Washington were hit, what means were used to do this irreparable moral, material, and political damage to the international relations and to the United States itself. Was it ICBMs? What threat are we talking about? We are talking about the use of mass destruction weapons terrorists may obtain - chemical weapons, biological weapons, and so on. Russia is convinced that this is what should be given the most serious thought to. If we want effectiveness, we should be seeking for the ways that will unite us instead of dividing.
Question: How far may Russia-NATO rapprochement go? Are you sure antagonism will not be rekindled again by over Baltic states' membership in NATO or over anti-ballistic missile defense? Do you think the West is prepared to granting Russia equal right in European and global decision-making?
Vladimir Putin: We are working on the new forms and contents of Russian-NATO cooperation. September 11 made it absolutely clear that the existing contents and structure of Russian-NATO relations do not meet the existing demands of security in the face of new threats and challenges.
I do not think there is anybody left to dispute the thesis on the necessity to form The Political Twenty. We want it eventually to pass decisions on the maximum spectrum of European security matters. We are prepared to discuss them together with the rest of NATO. It goes without saying that we exclude the defense component (like Article 5 of the Washington Treaty) and domestic problems.
A few words on the Baltic states and their eagerness for NATO membership. Every country's desire to up its security is understandable. We assume, however, that it will be more effectively accomplished by formation in the Baltic region of a system of multilateral security in the broad meaning of the word.
As for NATO and its planned eastward expansion... Our position has remained unchanged. We consider it a useless undertaking. NATO was formed in its time as a counterweight to certain threats... originating in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is no more, but foreign policy based on the "NATO-centrism" continues. We think it a mistake.
Russia is prepared to change the quality of its relations with the Alliance. It doesn't mean that we are after full-fledged membership. I won't go into details, but this is not what we are after. What we are prepared for, what we can do, and what we want to do is change the quality of relations in the matter of facing the real and not fancied threats.
Moreover, I think that new relations between Russia and NATO which are not impossible and which British Prime Minister Tony Blair suggests may eventually provide a bridge for Russia's relations with the future united Europe in this delicate sphere.
Question: What is you personal vision of Europe and Russia's relations with it?
Vladimir Putin: Russia is an integral part of European civilization and culture. Facilitation of relations with European structures and individual states is one of our natural priorities in foreign policy.
Future of Europe depends on appearance on the continent of the system of collective security.
I'm convinced therefore that full-fledged and equal partnership with Russia and unification of resources with it is a must for realization of Europe's potential as a powerful and independent center of global politics.
Question: Greece is particularly interested in security in South- East Europe and doing what it can to facilitate security in the region. Russia has always been present in this region too. Do you plan on making Russian presence in the Balkans more active?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, Russia's presence in this part of Europe is indeed ascribed to historical and geopolitical preconditions.
In my view, prevention of revision of borders in number one problem for the Balkans nowadays. If we miss the moment, fail to see it or pretend that we do not see it or do not understand what is happening - and close our eyes to revision of borders in Eastern Europe, then it may have dire consequences for all of Europe.
It will not do nowadays to allow anybody to take up arms to try and solve his political problems or promote political tasks. People like that should be treated like terrorists. If we follow these principles and do not deviate, then the problems of the Balkans - tricky as they undoubtedly are - will be solved and interests of all ethnic groups and peoples residing here will be observed.
Question: The Soviet Black Sea Fleet frequently visited the Aegean Sea back in the 1970s and 1980s but never after 1991. Do you plan to revive this practice, bearing in mind that the presence of ships and their crews here used to facilitate friendly relations between our peoples?
Vladimir Putin: You mean the period when our Navy was always present in the Mediterranean. A great deal has changed since then. Russia retains its presence in the Mediterranean, primarily due to the interests of international security, the strategic importance of the region, and its closeness to Russia. That is why our presence here should be viewed as a necessary element of security and stability in the Mediterranean.
(Translated by A. Ignatkin)
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