Russia's Foreign Policy

25 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Barrister Harun ur Rashid

Photo: AFP

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin chalked out an assertive Russian foreign policy during his eight years of presidency (2000-2008). His successor, President Medevdev, is following a similar path with support from Prime Minister Putin. The overarching tenet of foreign policy of Russia, in my view, is to ensure a democratic multi-polar world and its co-existence with the US with "honour and respect". Russia was against the unipolar world of the US and opposed the US invasion of Iraq without the approval of the Security Council. Given the world as it is, Russia has established its new security architecture. Broadly the pillars of such architecture are: * The establishment of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with China and Central Asian States, * Deepening of cooperative relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States * Joining the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) * Building an economic grouping with China, Brazil and India (BRIC). * Building new partnership bridges with Syria, Libya, India, Indonesia and Venezuela to maintain its global reach, selling arms and setting up nuclear reactors in some of them * Resumption of flights of Russian strategic bombers over the North Sea for the first time since 1992. * A restored naval base in Syria for the presence of Russian navy in the Mediterranean Sea. Very few senior foreign office officials or academics from Russian Federation visit Bangladesh to enunciate their country's foreign policy. Bangladeshis are used to listen to lectures or seminar on international or regional affairs from speakers of Western countries including the US. It was refreshing to listen to Dr. Andrey Vorobev, Deputy Head, Department of the Press and Information, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs who on 25th May presented a paper at the BEI conference room on "Russian Foreign Policy in the 21st Century". In his presentation, he mainly focused US-Russia relations, NATO's role, situation in the Middle East and Iran. He also touched on Iraq and Afghanistan and concluded with Russia's relations with Bangladesh. He was critical of President Bush's policy towards Russia and to the Bush administration, since Russia lost the Cold War, the administration treated Russia "magnanimously" but Russia "began to pursue an ungrateful, illogical and unacceptable policy". He quoted the former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, saying to Russian Foreign Minister in 2006: "Sergey I told you that we must not discuss the problems which lie west of Danube." He stated that such bluntness from Rice who "considers herself a major expert on Russia" did not help bilateral relations. He was hopeful that the Obama administration has "reset our relations" which provide Russia "undoubted grounds for cautious optimism." On NATO he said Russia is "closely watching the North Atlantic Pact" and mentioned that the new draft on NATO strategy appeared to be "contradictory" because while it acknowledged the "limits to resources and responsibility of the bloc" it proposed to substantially expand its spheres and that NATO's role of a "world policeman" would not suit Russia. Russia, according to Dr. Vorobev, dislikes the ambition of NATO to act as a substitute for UN and fears that NATO, instead of containing external threats, could create "hotbeds of tension, including such which have the character of civilisational, religious and ethnic contradictions, this reflecting on stability and security on the global scale." On the Middle East, Russia calls for the removal of double standards and for greater transparency of the political process. On Iraq, he stated that although the US would leave Iraq by 2011, it would leave for several more years its military contingent in Iraq that "will be larger than the present Afghan grouping of the US." As regards Hamas, Russia believes that without them it "will never be possible to create a sustainable and united Palestinian state in the Middle East". He also stated "Russia is being accused first and foremost of contacts with Hamas and our special position on Iran". He questioned the invasion of Afghanistan by the US. He posed a question, "Is the US ready to admit that in Afghanistan it tried to solve the task of reorienting energy flows from Central Asia towards the south - bypassing Russia and China?" He asserted "it is equally clear that Afghanistan posed no terrorist threat to the US nor does it now. Today the main threat emanating from Afghanistan is the level of narcotics production which has increased 44-fold since 2001". On Iran, he said that developments that had been taking place around that country "looks like a kind of déjà vu of 2003". President Ahmadinejad of Iran is told, "prove that you really don't have what the IAEA inspectors are looking for and cannot find, prove that you really don't want to make a bomb. Otherwise sanctions and war." On Russia-Bangladesh relations, Russia is deeply committed to expand its relations in all sectors including energy development (nuclear as well), in the exploration and production of gas, and in agriculture and food supplies. He expected a visit from Bangladesh Prime Minister early next year to Russia when bilateral relations would be further strengthened. He said Russia appreciated Bangladesh for not recognizing Kosovo which he called "the self-proclaimed independence of the Albanian separatists in Serbian province of Kosovo". One may disagree with his views but it is worthwhile to note the prism through which Russia is developing its foreign policy. Washington may realise that Russia's resurgence is not temporary and the role of Russia in world affairs could be a positive factor if its sensitivities are taken into account. There is no point for strained relations between Moscow and Washington. President Medvedev reportedly once said: "It is necessary that the US and Russia cooperate. It is inevitable." The author is former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.