Foreign Minister of Luxembourg says Ukraine is not enemy of Russia, it is democracy that is the enemy
Foreign Minister of Luxembourg says Ukraine is not enemy of Russia, it is democracy that is the enemy
Foreign Minister of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn visited India to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during April 25-28. The visiting side also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The senior diplomat has been instrumental in imposing sanctions on Russian entities and individuals soon after February 24 when Russia began the attack on Ukraine. The visit to Delhi is important, he said, remarking that Europeans should also remember the conflicts raging in other parts of the world. Excerpts from an interview:
What was the first item on the agenda of talks in India?
First item was Ukraine. The war on Ukraine began on February 24 but it really changed the world as it is an aggression against the rules of the international law. If this is tolerated, it can happen in other parts of the world.
In my assessment, Ukraine is not the enemy of Russia, it is democracy that is the enemy. Democracy is where justice is fair and national and international rule of law are respected. Russia’s enemy is the democratic system in which we live. That makes it terribly complicated also for the future.
In foreign policy, a problem is solved by a set of options. But here no one knows what is in the mind of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. If he has Ukraine then countries like Georgia, Moldova, and even the Baltic countries could be in line. This is not just a fight for Ukraine but it is a fight for us in the EU and democracy.
Can EU guarantee freedom of smaller non-EU/NATO countries like Moldova?
It is not possible to guarantee their freedom. That is the problem as Georgia and Moldova are not NATO members. Article 5 of NATO Charter is invoked if any NATO member is attacked but in case of Moldova that is not so. But we should not forget diplomacy even in this situation. Before January 24, we offered Russia to speak about the security architecture. Everyone agreed that Russia should be on the table but Mr. Putin refused. The NATO had no intention of attacking Russia and no country of NATO had this in mind.
After the 2007 Munich Conference, did Europe misjudge Russian intention?
We never wanted Russia to end dialogue and diplomacy. We created a NATO Russia council way back in 1997. The aim was to have a better relations with Russia. Even after Georgia in 2008, the NATO and Russia came together to discuss. Russia objects to the NATO’s expansion but
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