Lord Owen On Reconciliation With Russia - It Has to Happen Sooner Rather than Later Thanks to Trump

Let's stop separately on one of our interlocutors. Our conversation with him went beyond just memories. Yes, today the focus of attention is on the international debate that took place over the weekend in Munich. Recently we talked about an unusual debate in Westminster, in the House of Lords. Some of them suggested seeking ways to bring Russia closer almost simultaneously with the publication of the "Kremlin Report" in the USA.

One of the most eminent members of the upper house of the British Parliament is Lord David Owen, the former head of the Foreign Office and the representative of the European Union in the Balkans. Our beloved political gourmets will probably even remember such an expression from the 90s as "the plan of Vance-Owen".

 

The current idea of ​​Lord Owen is that Russia and the West can be reconciled by an exchange. Russia has achieved so much in Syria and generally in the Middle East, where until recently it seemed that the West was omnipotent. On the other hand, the West has stepped into Ukraine the territory that recently belonged to the Soviet Union. According to Lord Owen, Russia and the West have to look for asymmetrical compromises. Just a two-minute, but the very curious fragment of our conversation.

Lord David Owen:

- Russia is again the leading player in the Middle East. Many of us don't understand why. But if President Putin had not responded to Assad's appeal, Damascus would have been under ISIS’ control. I think it would be a terrible blow for the region.

- To the world civilization?

- Yes, I mean in many ways. Yes, Damascus is of great importance for many reasons. The city, in a sense, is comparable to Jerusalem. Our interlocutor believes that the reason for mistrust between Russia and the West on the Middle East was the UN Security Council resolution on Libya when Russia abstained.

- The resolution concerned the establishment of a no-fly zone, not a military operation.

- It was a clear assurance that this would not be followed by a regime change. Russia felt betrayed. We made mistakes and we should learn from them.

As for Eastern Europe, Lord Owen looks the same on the Crimean theme as the British government, but believes that Moscow's reaction was understandable.

Lord David Owen:

- Russia was outraged by NATO's progress toward its borders. At the same time, the agreement between the EU and Ukraine was provocative. But it makes little sense to delve into the past.

Our interlocutor believes that a dialogue is needed. But with whom?

- Is there still such a concept as a "collective West"?

- I'm not sure that it ever really has been. For a while, NATO was a very strong and cohesive organization because of fear.

- Fear of the Soviet Union and communism?

- Yes, but these times are long gone.

- That brings me once again to my question. So the EU is in crisis, the transatlantic ties are extremely complex, NATO today is not the same organization as before. With whom is Russia to conduct a dialogue? Is there still such a concept as a "collective West"?

- I think that Germany and France are doomed to get closer to us. The fact that we have left the EU does not mean that we need to be written off. I am sure that we will remain in good relations with France and Germany, perhaps even better than before. We tried to pretend to be a happy trinity when in reality it was a pair dance of France and Germany.

- Can there be a proper dialogue with the USA, considering Trump's problems in domestic politics?

- It seems that Trump, over his four years in power, will show himself, as it was with Reagan. Then, it also took time for the West, especially Europe, to discern in him a skillful politician, different from the traditional understanding. I see here a resemblance to Donald Trump. I think the dialogue will begin very soon.

Maybe some ideas of Lord Owen seems to be exotic, but the emergence of them indicates that the West began to understand that the fate of the world cannot be solved without Russia.