Russia

Comment: Seehofers counterproductive Moscow Trip

The Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer during his visit to Vladimir Putin all made mistakes, the critics even before the journey had feared, says Ingo Mannteufel.

The Moscow Trip of the Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer was a Bankruptcy announcement. Even before the departure of German opposition politicians, but also representatives from the other two government parties-the CDU and SPD, the scheduled Moscow talks of Seehofer criticized. And after the completion of travel shows: The opponent of the diplomatic tour of Bavaria had, absolutely right.

No time for “Business as usual”

Due to its appeasing pronouncements of the Bavarian national politician revealed that he had the signs of the times in relation to Putin’s Russia has not understood. Seehofer said probably still, that “Ukraine-crisis” just a misunderstanding, and quickly back to “business as usual” with large orders and regular Win for the Bavarian company in Russia to return could, if we wanted.

Ingo Mannteufel heads the Russian editorial office of DW

But the annexation of Crimea and the hybrid attack on Ukraine was not only to a genuine democracy and a pro-European course of Ukraine to prevent. Rather, it was and is the Russian aggressive policy against Ukraine is part of a larger Kremlin strategy, which after 1990 created peace and order second in Europe to revise. This neoimperialen and revisionist policies of the Kremlin is certainly not to be dealt with by you, as Seehofer – hasty in the European sanctions in question and the impression, certainly to a normalization of relations with Russia to be interested. Especially since Seehofer is mistaken if he believes that the Russian economic weakness and declining profits, Bavarian enterprises in Russia alone by the sanctions caused.

The root cause for Russia’s economic crash is in the by President Putin unterbundenen economic, political, and social modernization of the country and the Proliferation of arbitrariness and corruption. This has the dependency on the international commodity market even more. In the past few months, literally crashed the price of Oil due to a weaker ruble, which, in turn, the purchasing power of Russian consumers and also the company is sinking. This is the cause, why in Russia there is currently little money to earn.

German strategic interests go in front of Bavarian economic interests

Due to the Russian Ukraine-politics law that imposed sanctions have the economic crisis in Russia is not triggered. You have, at best, so strengthened, that the Kremlin for more neoimperiale plans in the Ukraine (“Noworossija project”) do not follow up. To this extent, the Western sanctions will be successful.

A removal of the sanctions may, however, not without tangible compensation from Moscow. A Bavarian-German industrial Park on the outskirts of Moscow, or a couple of agreed economic benefits and jobs for Bavarian companies are definitely only crumbs. The strategic interest of Germany and of Europe must be Putin’s Neoimperialismus at least curb it. And to try, with a controlled and realistic politics of the Kremlin to get to the principles of the best peace and order second in Europe to return. Certainly not an easy undertaking, but by beschwichtigende words Seehofers towards the Russian side in any case.

Moscow stepped up the stream of refugees

Also in the Syria crisis and the associated refugee issue is, President Putin is currently not the of Seehofer hoped-for Partner: in Parallel to the Meeting of the two in Moscow were in Geneva, the recently launched Syria peace talks suspended due to a military Offensive of Assad and the support of Russian air force. Thus Putin has all the diplomatic efforts, once torpedoed, especially the Western diplomacy under difficult conditions, has tried to build. So increasingly the Russian politics, even the stream of refugees. In view of this development the Bavarian Prime Minister but like a naive local politicians, the to far on the international diplomatic parquet intend ventured. Putin and Russia for Horst Seehofer, a number were too big and he German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Western policy towards Russia with his visit in Moscow, a disservice has, is more than unfortunate.

President Putin, by contrast, through its controlled media of the Russian population is the wrong image to convey that Western government officials have little of the Russian foreign policy, to suspend have. Horst Seehofer is not only with virtually empty hands back. Rather, he has worked for the Russian Staatspropaganda provided to and from the Kremlin desired TV images of a blind partnership set German politician delivered. All of this was to be expected. Therefore, it would have been better if Seehofer not only to Moscow would be.

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