Well now it looks like we're not even going to bother making a pretense about how we really do like each other.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bf8229ee-1298-11db-aecf-0000779e2340.htmlRussia tells west to stay out of its affairs
By Arkady Ostrovsky in Moscow, Caroline Daniel and Hugh Williamson in Stralsund
Published: July 13 2006 19:19 | Last updated: July 13 2006 19:19
Sergei Ivanov, Russia’s defence minister, on Thursday warned the west to stay out of its internal affairs saying it would use its “military might” as a deterrent and a guarantor of its sovereignty. His comments came as President George W. Bush sought to put democratic freedoms in Russia back on the agenda for the Group of Eight summit in St Petersburg this weekend.
In an article published in Izvestia newspaper Mr Ivanov – a possible successor to president Vladimir Putin in 2008 – hailed Russia’s resurgence as a great power, underpinned by a triad of “sovereign democracy, a strong economy and military might”.
He said Russia must hold its own “in the face of those who criticise us or are our open enemies”. These, he wrote, can be divided into two camps of “soft” opponents and of terrorists. Mr Ivanov said some democratic states which criticised Russia for its authoritarianism “were unhappy about an independent, strong and confident Russia”.
Russia’s future depended on its ability “to provide adequate response both to attempts to exert foreign policy pressure and to direct aggression, including international terrorism”, he said, adding that in both cases “combat-capable, well-equipped and modern armed forces” would play “a priority role”.
Mr Ivanov’s hawkish article is the latest sign of deterioration in Russia’s relationship with the west. It came as Mr Bush prepared to fly to St Petersburg on Friday for talks with President Vladimir Putin of Russia and to meet civil society leaders, ahead of the G8 summit.
Mr Bush on Thursday restated US concerns about freedom of expression in Russia. “We share concerns about the ability for people to go to the town square and express their opinions, and whether or not dissent is tolerated, whether or not there’s active political opposition,” the president said at a joint press conference with Angela Merkel, German chancellor.
However, the president emphasised that he had no desire to lecture Mr Putin or “scold the person publicly” during his visit which begins on Friday with a meeting of civil society activists.
In a signal that he did not intend to embarrass his Russian counterpart at the G8, Mr Bush said he intended to press the message in “a respectful way”. “I’m also going to be respectful of the leader of an important country.”
Mr Bush sought to create a united voice with Germany on the issue, noting that it was in Mr Putin’s interest “to implement the values that Germany and Russia – Germany and the United States share”.
Mrs Merkel echoed his comments about the need to press Mr Putin privately, noting: “We should not speak loudly and in public about certain issues.”
She side-stepped calls to criticise Russia on energy security and took a more cautious approach on human rights, calling merely for Russia to embark on a path that leads to a “lively and pluralistic society”.
Speaking on the fringe of the US-German summit in Stralsund, northern Germany, German officials said Berlin was cautious about taking a confrontational approach towards Moscow, noting the county’s energy dependency on Russia and its important role in resolving conflicts including over Iran and North Korea.
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