The Times’ babushka gets response from Moscow

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Published time: October 13, 2010 14:52
Edited time: October 14, 2010 15:01

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CIS, Conflict, Mass media, Politics, Putin, Russia, Thrills&Spills, UK

As any Russian babushka knows, the idea of restoring the USSR is absurd, said Putin’s spokesman in response to a warning, in The Times, against a desire Russia has of restoring its influence on the post-soviet space.

Speaking on behalf of an abstract babushka (or grandma), The Times’ Richard Beeston claimed Vladimir Putin has his sights set on creating “a giant empire from the Baltic to the Pacific that straddles the Caucasus and Central Asia.” Beeston cautioned Putin “be careful what you wish for”, as it would be “time-consuming and expensive.”

Vladimir Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, had his say on the issue.

“Ever since the Cold War, it has been a favorite pastime for analysts to invent sinister ploys and attribute them to Russia,” Peskov said, commenting on the article entitled ‘Babushka may have a word of caution for Putin’.

The Russian Prime Minister’s spokesperson assured the reporter that his advice was “heeded a very long time ago” and “any notion of restoring the Soviet Union is, of course, an absurdity”.

According to Beeston, Moscow’s influence is seen even in the Baltic states. He recalled the Latvian election held earlier this month, in which the pro-Russian Harmony Center Party, “campaigning on disillusionment with the European Union, managed to come second in the polls.”

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Peskov wondered if the author really believes that “Russia questions the sovereignty of the Baltic states.”

The British journalist recalled that Putin had said that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” With that in mind, Beeston went on, “the former KGB officer, through persuasion, intimidation, violence, trade, money and old-fashioned diplomacy… succeeded in re-establishing Russian influence over many of the 15 republics that comprised the Soviet Union.”

Peskov noted that Beeston’s enthusiasm for Russian folklore was “adorable.” However, he pointed out, any babushka would tell him that the collapse of the Soviet Union “was indeed…a catastrophe, abruptly severing social and economic ties between entire nations that were once closely united.”

But what Russia sought, the premier’s spokesman stressed in a letter published by the British newspaper, is to gradually restore these ties and establishing deeper cooperation with its neighbors.

“What is so wrong about that?” Peskov wondered. The Russian premier’s spokesman stressed that the Customs Union that Russia established with Kazakhstan “and eventually a single market with a single currency, are precisely that, nothing more.”

He went on to say that “seeing the economic and monetary union as a veiled threat to national sovereignty” is a “very British view.” Meanwhile, Russia’s view is that such integration would only benefit all its participants.

“While it is perhaps forgivable to believe that economically Britain is an island, for Russia it is not an option,” he added.

Read the full text of Peskov's letter

Comments (5)

lolo 14.10.2010 10:51

Perhaps if the EU helped the Baltic states in their hour of need with the economic crisis, that pro-Russian party would not have come second in the polls. And perhaps, if the EU had helped Georgia in their hour of need during the war with Russia, then Kazakhstan would not economically, socially and militarily unify with Russia. Just a thought...

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Rikard 14.10.2010 07:51

UK is making the same conclusion as Japan: observing Russia as an empire. This is exactly what make them being political islands.

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Enrique 14.10.2010 00:21

In the 500 million people ASEAN free trade area Indonesia (237 million people) plays a similar role as Russia (141 million people) in the F.T.A. with neighboring countries. In fact, the same way as ASEAN has included countries like Vietnam (85 million people) which are not Malay (as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philipines...), a Central Eurasian F.T.A. could include a reformed Iran, Afghanistan and even Turkey. Remember that the Southern Trade -Route between Europe and China takes place through those three states (Turkey-Iran-Aghanis tan) while the Northern Trade Route takes place through the Russian Federation... So the Central Eurasian Common Market will be a guarantee of stability of the Soutthern Trade Route (still being built) between China and Europe. There are two TRADE ALTERNATIVES: Maritime and Continental. Germany and Russia for obvious reasons suppport the Continental alternative (Berlin-Moscow-Beiji ng and Berlin-Stambul-Teher an-Hong Kong) Meanwhile, the U.K., which feels it can be left apart from such alternative (Spain also) supports the Maritime alternative (London-New York-L.A.-Hong Kong) But Russia also takes part in the Australian initiative APEC (Maritime) Betting for Brazil more than for Russia (both economies being of similar size) is also part of the Maritime alternative (which also Spain supports for geographical and historical reasons) But both alternatives can be complementary as Russia, Germany and China are demonstrating.

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