7 Annual Big Press Conference Part 16
February 14,2008
President of Russia V.Putin
The Kremlin,Moscow
VLADIMIR PUTIN: I think that the French President is very responsible and purposeful in attaining the goals he has set for Frances development. He is a very sincere person. I have not yet had the chance to spend any real length of time with him and hold deep discussions. We have met only a few times, but he gives me the impression of being very composed, of being an integral and decisive nature. I find it a pleasure to work together with him and we have established good personal and working relations. He is an open person, inasmuch as it is possible to be open at this level. If he thinks there are questions that require additional discussion or if he has some critical remarks to make he speaks directly and openly but in non-confrontational fashion. I try to respond in the same way and we have established an open and friendly dialogue and a good level of cooperation.
Regarding the parades, different countries have different traditions. Russia has a tradition of military parades dating back to the Russian Empire. We are simply continuing this tradition and it has nothing to do with signs of any potential outside aggression. It is very bold indeed to imagine that we seek a return to the Cold War era. Our main task today is internal development, resolving our countrys social and economic problems. We want to build for ourselves a favourable external environment and develop partnerships, alliances, strategic relations with everyone, including with the United States. We have absolutely no desire to carry on dialogue in an atmosphere of confrontation. But Russias growing economic and military potential does allow us to be firmer in standing up for our national interests, both political and economic. We will never seek confrontation, but we do think it is our right to defend our interests, just as our partners do, and indeed, we can learn from them.
What kind of aggressiveness can we talk about today? Russia has closed its bases abroad. Are we attacking anyone, unleashing armed conflicts, withdrawing from basic arms control agreements? We are abiding by all of our commitments.
Why dont you take a look as a citizen of Europe at the discussion our partners have begun. You can write in your magazines whatever you want, but still, you, personally, as a European. Russia has signed and ratified the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. We have cut back all of our military units and now have not a single army-level division in the European part of Russia, and we have withdrawn all of our units from the northwest. We have imposed what amount to essentially colonial-style restrictions upon ourselves, restrictions that limit the movement of our own troops on our own territory. Has France made any such commitments? Does France have restrictions on moving its own troops on its own territory? Does America? It is ridiculous to imagine the President of the United States restricting the movement of troops from California to Texas, say. It is absurd! But we have made such commitments. And what do we see? Our partners have not even ratified the treaty. Year after year we say to them, come on, enough now, we dont agree to this unilateral situation, its time you ratified. The Baltic states have not even signed the new version of the treaty. In other words, if some kind of fourth or fifth missile defence position district were to be set up there tomorrow it would all be in accordance with the current laws.
How long can this continue? We keep saying year after year that it is time to start working honestly, but they always come up with something new. While the treaty remains to be ratified we see one base appear, then another, one district, then another, ever closer to our borders. How long can we put up with this? And in the end we start to react.
But no one likes it when we start defending our interests. We are told that Russia is behaving aggressively. Is this really aggressive behaviour? Are we establishing new bases or setting up missile defence systems? Was France asked when it was announced that a new missile defence system would be set up within the NATO framework? Who asked Frances opinion? No one did. It was only later that discussions began in Brussels. Is this a European decision, a NATO decision? We reacted by suspending our membership in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and we say that we will no longer accept any colonial-style conditions in the future. Let us instead hold a dialogue as partners and take each others interests into account.
There is no need to whip up fear over Russian aggressiveness because there is not and will not be any such aggressiveness.
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