[Marxism] "Russia on the road again" (Juventud Rebelde interviews Russian ambassador to Cuba)

[Walter Lippmann]

(The fall of the Soviet Union has had numerous complex consequences
for Cuba, starting with the virtual collapse of the economy, and a
subsequent need to reconfigure its economic practices in many ways.
There was a great deal of anger and annoyance for a time, and I'll
not forget some of the negative feelings in Cuba after the Russian
government of Vladimir Putin closed the Lourdes base. Today things
are much better in the island's relations with Russia, as this very
long, detailed and friendly interview with the Russian ambassador 
to Cuba indicates.)
=================================================================

JUVENTUD REBELDE
July 6, 2008
Russia on the road again

Mikhail Kamynin, Russian Federation ambassador to Cuba, 
talked with JR about current affairs in his country, 
international relations, and the links between Moscow and Havana.

By: Luis Luque Álvarez 
E-mail: luque at jrebelde.cip.cu
July 6, 2008 - 00:44:32 GMT

http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs2026.html
A CubaNews translation. 
Edited by Walter Lippmann.

Cuba and Russia take a similar stand on several international policy
issues, said ambassador KamyninPhoto: Roberto Meriño

Months ago, as I read the latest scoops on the discussions to decide
the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo, I found many
times the name Mikhail Kamynin, the Russian Foreign Ministry
spokesman in charge of voicing Moscow’s disagreement with separatist
moves against Serbia’s sovereignty..

On April last year, Mr. Kamynin was appointed envoy to Cuba. The
Eurasian state is no longer the badly wounded giant fallen by the
wayside after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but a nation firmly
back on the recovery track. In his excellent Spanish –the result of
previous missions in counties like Mexico, Spain and Cuba itself– the
prestigious diplomat talked with our daily about the current
situation in Russia and other international affairs.

«What did current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s eight-year-long
mandate mean to Russia?»

«Stability is the word that best describes Russia’s situation today.
For eight years, my government has taken positive steps to guarantee
Russia’s stable political and economic development. Prime Minister
Putin will continue working along these lines, fostering education
–given the new stage of development we have entered– and our
infrastructure, socioeconomic investment and innovation, in order to
give economic effectiveness a shot in the arm, taking into account
that Russia is a huge country.

«As a result of this policy, our people’s income has tripled in the
last few years and significant improvement has been made in health
care, education and every other citizen-oriented service».

«What are the prospects now with president Medvedev?»

«No change: he will continue this policy. Besides, last December we
had elections to the Duma (the Parliament’s lower house) and the
ruling force –United Russia– won the majority vote, so the
Legislature will back the President in his efforts to modernize the
country».

«Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said that by late 2008 Russia
will be the world’s sixth strongest economy. On what does he base his
prediction?»

«On the economic progress made in the last eight years, when our GDP
grew by more than 7% and the overall economy by more than 80%. All
indicators put us in tenth place, so there’s work to be done to reach
sixth place.»

«Oil and gas are held to account for 60% of all Russian exports.
Isn’t that high dependence on these exports a weakness?»

«No, because things are changing. Our economy is no longer so
dependent on the export of energy resources, since there’s more
investment –both internal and external– in industry, where great
headway has been made. Yet, we have such huge amounts of oil and gas
that we will of course export them.

«Again, however, Russia’s reliance on oil and gas exports is very
small. But thanks to the rise in oil price in the last few years and
the right route plotted by our government, we made the most of that
significant profit, which has translated into more investment in
industrial development».

«How high does Russia’s oil rank today in your overall exports?»

«Somewhere between 50% and 60%».

«There are some in the EU who claim Moscow uses these supplies as a
political tool to have things its own way
»

«Very few still think so, as evidenced by the Russia-European Union
Summit held in the Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiisk last week.
There’s a different perspective now on our oil-based links with
Europe, a key issue to be dealt with by the exporting and consuming
countries together if we expect to solve our problems.

«That’s the prevailing view in Europe today. And Russia, as an
exporting country, has never breached a contract with any consumer.
As we have said over and over again in our bilateral summits with the
EU, Russia has never used its resources as a vehicle to reach our
political goals. We are reliable as a country that exports energy
resources».

«Russia plays an outstanding role at international level. For
instance, it has prevented the province of Kosovo, illegally snatched
from Serbia, from becoming a U.N. member state
»

«Our position is crystal-clear. We do not recognize, and in fact
oppose, the unilateral settlement of Kosovo’s independence, starting
from the premise that both the international community and the U.N.
must play a constructive role and that U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1244 –a binding agreement on Serbia’s boundaries– is still
in force. We believe a true stable solution can be found through
direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina, and we abide by that
principle in every contact we have».

«Can Moscow take other actions to right that wrong?»

«It’s easier said than done, but we keep working, and so do our
allies, as we wait in hopes that the U.N. will make a statement».

«There’s disagreement even within the EU
»

«Indeed, this is one of the few bones of contention in the EU, where
some recognize Kosovo and others don’t. But the Union is trying to
fulfill its duties and they’ve just sent a mission there, which is
odd, because all EU’s decisions are taken unanimously. Not in this
case, though.

«We’ll keep fighting, as we deem this unilateral proclamation of
independence to be in violation of International Law, and more
dangerous yet, of the Helsinki Accords on the inviolability of
frontiers...».

«What has Moscow warned about the missile shield the U.S. wants to
deploy in Europe? Will Russia be drawn into a new arms race?»

«Everyone knows our stance in this regard: we must all provide for
our safety together and not divide it. That some allies of the U.S.
in NATO have a shield and others doesn’t make any sense. If we talk
about European safety, we all have to think together about how to
achieve stability, perceive danger and come up with countermeasures,
and here we find President Medvedev’s latest initiative in proposing
European leaders to hold a Summit Meeting to discuss possible new
security structures. We think there are other dangers facing humanity
today, and we must find solutions collectively.

«Concerning Russia, we have the state of the art in weaponry and feel
safe as a result. Yet, safety must not be split but strengthened with
everybody’s efforts, to come up with both security programs and
hazard analysis systems».

«Going back to Cuba and Russia, where do you see the greatest
potential to expand and develop our economic cooperation?»

«This is a new stage of economic and business cooperation and renewal
of contacts, and we must do our best so that our links in this field
are in keeping with the real possibilities of each country.

«We’re talking about cooperation in areas like biotechnology,
investment in several economic branches in Cuba and high technology
–as you know Cubana Airlines flies Russian planes– and both the Joint
Commission for Economic Cooperation and the Russian-Cuban Business
Council are working well. I think this is the time to go forward and
extend our contacts beyond the usual fields to cover new ones».

«Finally, what are the main international issues on which Russia and
Cuba agree?»

«Both countries have adopted the same stand on challenges facing the
human race, such as terrorism and the food crisis. We’re against
biofuel made of agricultural products. It’s a type of bio-energy with
very good prospects, but it should be based on non-food products.

«We’re also opposed to the U.S. blockade and always vote for the U.N.
Resolution against it. And we take similar stands as well on a
variety of international policy topics.

«I’d like to take the opportunity to send my best regards to the
readers of this daily Juventud Rebelde (Rebel Youth), as much depends
on youth today, from the future of our countries to the friendship
between our peoples. So carry on, you all!».

---ooOoo---