CURRENT EU-RUSSIAN RELATIONS FROM A RUSSIAN POINT OF VIEW

I meet Russian-born Yura Cherkasov just a few weeks before his return to his Heimat for an interview on how he sees the future of EU-Russia relations. Observing him I see a young and unprejudiced, open-minded guy. Later in the conversation he will say that more mutual playground must be sought after  instead of emphasizing  differences and stubborn stereotypes. When my recorder breaks down, though, he says: “Oh I see, it is made in China”. Right.

Unfortunately some of us still tend to think of Russia as a country where bears are dancing on the streets while people with fur caps are freezing in lines to get some food. This stereotype has actually more to do with the past than with the current state in which Russia finds itself: its capital Moscow has for years been the most expensive city in the world – the financial crisis however recently ended this Russian hegemony, devaluating the rouble while the unemployment rate is increasing rapidly. We asked Yura whether he thinks this crisis is a chance for closer cooperation with the European Union, or that it will rather deepen the trenches.
“The crisis is the result of globalisation processes in which every country is involved. Therefore, there should be more cooperation, especially between the main economies in the world. Russia is economically, geographically and historically a part of Europe and it participates in international organisations such as the UN, the OSCE, G8 and others. It is a strong political actor and has tremendous influence in the world. For this reason it could be a good instrument for the EU to fight the crisis. In the lasts summits concerning the crisis issues the Russian president proposed solutions on how to solve this crisis and he has been heard in Europe. That is good.”
DIALOGUE

Being a young Russian who spent the last year studying European society, the EU and its peculiarities, Cherkasov is a fierce proponent of a closer cooperation between Russia and the EU. “The EU and Russia must deepen their relations in all spheres. Russia is the nearest and biggest EU neighbour and strategic partner in different areas and both entities cannot survive without each other –they are interdependent. This was however a difficult year for both entities as the same problems as before were underlined once again: the EU’s energy dependency on Russia and the problems with transiting these energy supplies through unstable countries like the Ukraine. Russia however still needs the EU as its main market for energy resources and future products. And of course the other way round, Russia is the main portal for the EU to bring modernization and access to new technology.” The only way forward therefore clearly is dialogue. That the relations between the EU and Russia are stronger than they used to be is proven by the Georgia-War last year: despite the war the good relations in the areas of economy, energy, education and sciences weren´t damaged. Under the leadership of Sarkozy the EU even took up a mediating role and presented a common European position to this conflict. Yura: “Europe was one of the stabilizing factors there. The US responded very aggressively to this war, protecting by all means its satellite – Georgia, and used mass media as an instrument to show ´Russian’ aggression. European mass media were less active on this topic and didn’t judge this conflict so definitely. This shows that Europe is seeking for stability in its neighbourhood; exemplifying soft power.” Talking about the United States, what does Yura think of the powershift that has taken place since the Georgia War? “I believe in Obama, he is a good and sighted person, but the paradox is that the more he will be trying to build good relations with Russia, the more he will lose popularity in the US. But this cooperation is very important though. The last events show his willingness to integrate and make Russia a western type country. Russia even has been invited to join NATO in future, and it really means something. The future of missile defence in Eastern Europe however is not yet clear, as the rhetoric significantly changed to a more pro Russian dimension.”

CULTURAL COOPERATION

How will Yura look back on his time in Belgium when he is back in Russia next month? “Well, I really enjoyed staying here. I had never been in Europe before and this was my first experience. I met a lot of interesting people and learned a lot about the European Union from its heart – Brussels. This is very important for a person, who studies a specific country or wants to understand how the country is functioning, by participating directly and not through the mass media, which sometimes give different accents to what is happening. If you want to know what is happening – go there by yourself and see! I will tell my friends about Europe and what I´ve  learned there and do my best to improve the image of the EU and Europe in Russia. Actually, this image is not so spoiled as the image of the US, and a lot of Russian people want to be closer to Europe – cultural exchange is the base for future cooperation and it should be maintained. We shouldn’t forget that people are the main instrument of building such relations and therefore we should know each other more closely.” |