Putin: Europeans Should be Ashamed
Shame on You, Europeans!
Speaking to a record 1,364 journalists at his annual presidential press conference in Kremlin on February 14, which lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again stressed that “support for unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo is immoral and illegal.”
“The territorial integrity of states is enshrined in the fundamental principles of international law. UN Security Council resolution 1244 speaks about the territorial integrity of Serbia, and all UN members must respect those decisions,” President Putin said.
“I don't want say anything that would offend anyone, but for 40 years northern Cyprus has practically existed as an independent state,” Putin said. “Why aren't you recognizing it? Aren't you ashamed, Europeans, for having such double standards for the same issues in different parts of the world?!” wondered Russian President.
Why Not Support Separatists Everywhere, Not Just in Serbia?
“We have Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Trans-Dniester, existing as independent states. And all the time they keep saying Kosovo is "a special case". That's a lie, there are no special cases, and everyone knows it. It’s all the same, ethnic conflicts, crimes on both sides, de facto complete independence,” said Putin.
The Russian president said that a united approach had to be developed, which Russia advocated, to deter separatism, rather than encourage it:
“We should formulate common principles to address these issues. Why do we promote separatism? Well, in Spain, people do not want to live in a single state, then support the secession there. For 400 years Great Britain has been fighting for its territorial integrity in respect to Northern Ireland. Why? Why don't you support that [secession]? We have to have common principles. If we act on the so-called political expediency, serving political interests of individual countries, we will destroy international law and the world's order,” stressed Putin.
Russian president reiterated that the small countries cannot feel safe in today's world, where their interests are so obviously not protected by the international law.
Who Lacks What
Admired for his charm, sense of humor and straightforwardness, Russian president has once again fully justified his status of a most popular head of state in today's world. One would be hard pressed to find another top official capable of facing the entire worldwide media in such an open, honest and non-restrictive fashion, and come out of a five-hour marathon even more popular than before.
Though the entire press conference is worth reading as the most up-to-date snapshot of today's world and its main political players, my personal favorite is Putin's response to a comment by Billary Clinton, U.S. Senator and America's presidential candidate, who said that Russia's president "could not possess a soul as a former KGB officer".
To which Putin replied: “A state official should at least have brains.”
No comments:
Post a Comment