Europos Sąjungos Rytų partnerystė ir Putino karų pradžia

European Union’s Eastern partnership and the beginning of Putin’s wars

Speech at the III Global Baku Forum, 2015-04-28

Thank you and thanks to the Baku Forum for a chance to speak on essentials, even about to be or not to be.

 We in the Central-Baltic Europe were and are favouring and supporting the idea of EU’s Eastern partnership, concrete efforts being already made by both sides (EU and partners), as well as achievements on this way. Those do include openness of the door of the European perspective (democracy, rule of law, fair cooperativeness) with encouragement for our Eastern neighbours that there is a real sense to work for democracy, thus distancing from non-democracy and lawlessness presented by the former metropolis. 

 We understand, ladies and gentlemen, that is about the shift of the former Soviet colonies to a more human, more profitable and promising system of European coexistence.

 All normal states and beings should support such progress as the striving for good, for our common European good.

 If one state, a rather abnormal one, big in space but poor in soul, is against that positive creativity and prefers its own blind track, the Europeans are not obliged to bend down – sorry, sir – and discontinue building of better Europe for all, by way of the European Partnership.

 I am sure that such decision to bend down, if even greatly desired by the Kremlin, cannot be taken in Riga, Berlin or elsewhere.

 Why Russia dismissed the proposal of its own partnership and stood against this perspective for others? – most likely, due to its own plans for Europe. Regrettably, if those poor ambitions have just become casus belli.

 Let us now look for the reasons or roots of the current tragedy of the new war in Europe.

 We cannot avoid the unfortunate fact that the main problem of the EU (or Europe) today is Russia, and more precisely, its post-colonial complexes.

 Go back, ladies and gentlemen, to the wise and peaceful dissolution of the Communism–Russia-built Soviet empire. That was a new form of post-tsarist empire of continued conquests of lands and nations. When it was simply stated in Belovezh, December 1991 that “the Soviet Union ceased to exist”, the efforts of Russian democrats to build up the state of democracy and law, unfortunately, failed due to harsh revanshism of the retrograde powers inside the country and unpreparedness of the post-Soviet society for relevant reforms.

 About ten years ago, a famous formula started to be voiced that the disappearance of the prison of nations and souls was the greatest tragedy for prison guards modestly calling themselves mankind. Similarly, the Communist tyrants used always to call themselves “the people” – and correspondingly, the opponents of the tyranny were “enemies of the people”. But even after Belovezh, reactionary backwardish move prevailed and not the old Communist Party, but in some seven years the immortal KGB was back and became the ruling party of the blundering post-Soviet Russia. About such new ruling party – that is the definition of Sergey Kovalev, one of the last Russian democrats, not yet killed.

 As long as that imperial revanshism of Russia is avoided even to be mentioned here and now, only the Ukrainian president speaks about, we will never understand what is today happening in the putinist Russia and the surrounding world.

 President Kwasniewski semi-publicly said at the Victoria Hotel Conference in Warsaw circa 2000 about his conversation with the newly elected President Putin and noticed what that latter had firmly stated about the former Soviet Union: “I will collect them back!” I heard that Kwasniewski’s reference and it stayed unforgettable.

 Such obsessions are longstanding and can be fatal for those in touch. We saw how the obsession was transformed into a mirage of a new entity Eurasia called for and allegedly able to crush Europe.

 Our Conference is asking today: “can Russia become a constructive partner or not?”, “can it be trusted when constantly lying?”, etc.

 Let us agree between ourselves what Russia we are talking about. Russia of war and conquest? Does this Russia deserve some trust or totally not? The reality show presents to us the Russia which is not building but “loosing trust”, the further, the more.

 Significant are not words but true meanings. Not any meaning in mind but deeds on the ground. As Mr. Putin has said: “they” only talk while I act.

 Russia is kidding us all when it speaks on “international law”. The cannibal who has consumed his parents now cries of being an orphan. But Russia of Putin is not kidding when it states that international law is mobile and freely changing its principles along with the real might of those obeying or disobeying.

 Mr. Bordachev yesterday presented this simply and transparently. “When abilities of the states are changing, the tasks do change as well”. For some ten years we could already listen that the commitments undertaken by Russia when it was weak are out of business for strong Russia. Not to remember the Budapest memorandum on Ukraine.

 Thus the grounds of our poor international law lay in the relevant force majeure. If your force is lesser than mine, then mine is the majeure one, and you have to obey.

 That is the international law (allegedly “responsible for peace” – Mr. Bordachev) in the newest putinist edition.

 Postmodern Stone Age of today and for tomorrow is on the table.

 It is also a consistent way leading from weak and staunchilly violated international law to total lawlessness. It reopens new perspectives for the “post-UN” world order. “The new epoch is knocking at our door” – as Mr. Likhotal has said.

 The name of this new epoch sounds clearly:

 The beginning of the ongoing period of Putin’s wars. The war against Ukraine is the third in line, after Chechnya and Georgia. But not the last.