MOSCOW, October 9. The head of the Duma Committee on international Affairs Alexei Pushkov believes the statement of the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker about the need to improve relations with Russia turning and associates it with the successful actions of Russia in Syria.
As the MP said, “this is the first substantive statement Juncker on relations with Russia, which he has done since taking office, that is, for quite a long time”.
See also
The head of the European Commission called for improved relations between the EU and Russia
“Replacing (Jose Manuel) Barroso, Juncker, in my opinion, for a long time refrained generally from the topic of relations with Moscow, sanctions and the Ukrainian crisis, leaving to do that (the head of the European Council) Donald Tusk and (the head of European diplomacy Federica) Mogherini,” he said.
Pushkov is sure that this statement “could be a turning”.
He does not exclude that the statement “made under the influence of Russia’s actions in Syria, where Russia has demonstrated the ability to effective military operations and where, incidentally, Russia is fighting the main threat that exists today for Europe”.
The MP believes that the threat of “double-headed” – on the one hand, in the face of terrorism (banned in the Russian Federation terrorist group) “Islamic state” on the other – the flow of refugees to the EU from the Middle East, primarily from Syria.
The MP drew attention that all the recent terrorist attacks in France, in Tunisia “were made by people who were either directly or indirectly connected with the IG”.
“It is also known that among the refugees there are a number of individuals who were seen in the fighting in the middle East,” he added. “So the threat of terrorism will only increase,” – said the Deputy.
As for the second part of “double threat”, says Pushkov, “the problem cannot be solved without establishing a political process in Syria and a peaceful resolution” which is impossible without the defeat of the IG. “So Russia in this case in the long term and plays to the solution of the refugee problem”, – concluded the head of the Committee.
Another factor that should influence the EU’s relations to Russia, Pushkov calls “a serious irritation with the policy of sanctions” that exist among the European business community and a significant part of the public of such countries as Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, France. “We know that these sanctions affect the export of European businesses in Russia, primarily on agricultural exports, causing the discontent of the farmers and businessmen”, – he noted, reminding that, according to various estimates, financial losses of EU from sanctions of $ 40 – 50 billion euros.
The last digit of the cumulative loss that is referenced by Pushkov, approximately 100 billion euros. “At a time when Europe is in economic stagnation, not economic growth, 100 billion euros is a substantial sum, in addition, the EU loses a lot of jobs,” – he said. Therefore, Pushkov does not exclude that the statement reflects Juncker, in particular, and “the mood of a significant part of European manufacturers, which seriously suffered from the sanctions against Russia”.
Earlier, Juncker called for the improvement of EU relations with Russia. “We must make an effort to keep relations with Russia on a pragmatic basis, – quotes its words Reuters. – It is not fashionable, but it should be”.
Error USA in the middle East
Alexei Pushkov believes that the mistakes of the U.S. in the middle East are questioning their policy towards Russia and the approach to the Ukrainian crisis, and it is being recognized throughout the EU, as evidenced by the statement of the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker about the need to improve relations with Russia.
Pushkov is convinced that “the U.S. has demonstrated its ineffectiveness in the middle East”. “The attempt of democratization of Iraq ended with the emergence of a (prohibited in the Russian Federation terrorist group) “Islamic state” and capture about 40 percent of Iraqi territory. The country is on the verge of collapse, and not by accident Baghdad, despite allied relations with the USA, actually joined the Russian-Syrian-Iranian coalition in the fight against the Islamic state”, he said in an interview. The Deputy explains that “Americans are not capable to render serious assistance to defeating ISIS”.
In addition, he continued, Libya is still “not stable, there are also control points of IG, and now Syria”.
The head of the Duma Committee believes that U.S. policy in the middle East shows that “Washington cannot cope with self-imposed task of world leadership”. And this, said the MP, “questioning American policy towards Russia in connection with Ukrainian crisis.” “Because, if Americans are not right in the middle East, why they must be right in their attitude to the crisis in Ukraine and policy of Russia”, – said Pushkov your conclusion.
“The reputational damage that America has suffered in the middle East, it is unconvincing remarks of President Barack Obama, with whom he appeared at the General Assembly in new York, the fact that he obviously lost on the General “palm” Vladimir Putin, because the Russian President has made specific, far-reaching proposals to tackle real, not imagined threats, I think it affects a significant part of the European political class,” said the MP.
He believes that after the talks in Paris and reaching agreements on political process in Ukraine, “the mood in the EU is gradually beginning to change and this may lead to a fundamental shift in the European position”. “On this and reflected in the statement by Jean-Claude Juncker”, – concluded the gun.
