By Mathias Haufiku
New Era’s Chief Political Reporter Mathias Haufiku yesterday interviewed Russia’s Ambassador to Namibia, Alexander Khudin, on a range of issues such as the situation on the Ukraine and trade and bilateral issues.
NE: Thank you very much for according us this interview. Your President Vladimir Putin recently had an audience with French President Francois Hollande at Elysee Palace. Give us a snapshot of what transpired during that meeting?
AK: “As you know this visit of my president was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the landing of our allies in Western Europe during the Second World War. Russia was invited as one of the leading members of the coalition of allied states and our president took part in the celebrations. Of course such events also allow leaders of leading nations with an opportunity to discuss international issues, this time around it was not different.”
NE: President Putin also visited Normandy Beach for the first time to celebrate the 70th anniversary of D-Day. What does this meeting signify considering the fact President Putin was the first Russian president to visit Normandy?
AK: “Well, it is not a matter of first visit or second because we collaborated closely with our allies such as the United States of America, Britain and France. This was a meeting of friends in arms, it was a good occasion for the leaders to show that they still remember and appreciate each other. As for the event, it was quite a natural thing to happen.”
NE: Ukraine is under siege. What is your country’s policy on Ukraine regarding the Ukrainians’ political and human rights and self-determination?
AK: “Ukraine as you remember was close to and even a part of Russia at some point – we became brotherly people. After the collapse of the Soviet Union they became independent and we decided to respect their sovereignty. The Crimea region, which is populated mostly by Russians, has a constitution, which states that they have the right to self-determination, but under Ukraine it could not be realized because the central authorities hindered the process. In February the events in Ukraine were sparked by the fact that President Viktor Yanukovych said he is not prepared to sign an association agreement with the European Union (EU) since Ukraine was not ready to join it. He saw that there is a possibility that living standards will sag in Ukraine because most of its produce went to Russia. He then decided to postpone the signing of the agreement, which led to most people not approving his internal economic policies and in the end it triggered a protest, which was spearheaded by rightist ultra-nationalist forces. He [Yanukovych] did not use force to suppress the movement, but instead signed an agreement with the opposition which was co-signed by Germany, France and Poland in which he agrees to do everything the opposition wanted, but unfortunately the next day there was a coup and he did not have time to do what he signed for. This was a coup provoked by the nationalist forces who took power illegally and this was the start of the crisis in Ukraine. From what we read in the mainstream media, many say Ukraine is under siege because of Russia, it is an incorrect statement, the crisis is internal and has nothing to do with Russia, but rather an issue of the Ukrainian government attacking its own people. Our position as Russia is clear that it is an internal internal one and we will not interfere. But us not interfering does not mean we will not help Ukraine to find ways to solve the problems they are facing. In a nutshell, we are saying that the government of Ukraine is waging a war against its own people and we are therefore trying to bring it to the attention of the international community. The crimes being committed in Ukraine should be independently investigated because those committing these crimes should not be allowed to walk free.”
NE: Are these developments in Ukraine an indication of another Cold War?
AK: “We sincerely hope it is not the start of a Cold War. The Ukraine crisis is internal business but some powers want to use to it to increase the tension in Ukraine and the world at large. ”
NE: What do you have to say about the sanctions imposed on Russia by the Western superpowers?
AK: “Those sanctions are illegal because according to international law, only the United Nations can impose sanctions against a state. The sanctions are detrimental not only against the state but also to those who introduced them because they ruin cooperation between the countries, especially if you consider the fact that most of our cooperation with the West is multi-faceted. Our trade with the European Union is almost 400 billion Euros, this is a high level of interdependency and we would like to maintain that situation. Many companies in Western Europe have voiced concerns about the sanctions by saying that it will have reverse negative effects on those who introduced them. So we believe that the common sense and economic interests of our western partners will help us to agree on how to overcome the situation.”
NE: And what is the current relationship between Russia and NATO?
AK: “Historically when the Berlin Wall fell, there was a general understanding that we do not need military blocs, the Warsaw Pact was dissolved and there was no reason for NATO to exist as well. But it was decided that it must stay and Russia was assured that NATO would only remain within the parameters of its member states. But lately, we see that this promise is not being kept because NATO is moving east into countries such as Estonia, Poland, and Romania. We told NATO this is not fair unto Russia because it [NATO] is moving closer to the Russian border and it will impact our security measures. There have also been talks of Georgia and possibly Ukraine becoming NATO member states. NATO says there are no talks about Ukraine joining it, yet they talk of possible military cooperation with Ukraine as well as claims that the Ukraine situation poses a threat to world security. You can see that NATO want to enforce their presence in non-member countries and are currently using Ukraine as an excuse. There is inconsistency in NATO policies. A Russia-NATO Council was established in the past but after the Ukraine crisis started NATO just decided to stop talks. We however hope that common sense prevails because we cannot move together to fight global problems such as terrorism, the illegal trade in narcotics and human trafficking.”
NE: Why do you think NATO is so keen to be close to the Russian borders?
AK: “That is a good question which should be addressed to the western powers. All I can think of is that since NATO was not dissolved like the Warsaw Pact, they are going around looking for issues which would justify their existence in the world, and in doing so they even move out of NATO territory. They were actively engaged by moving into Libya under the UN banner like they always do when they want to invade non-member states.”
NE: Your Excellency you are constantly making reference to “people”, “someone” and “external forces “instigating the situation in Ukraine. Who are these forces?
AK: “I am referring to the USA and the Western European counties, especially Germany, France and Britain. It is clear to see that some events in Ukraine are instigated by the West. Some of their high-ranking officials even visited Ukraine and a few weeks later the crisis started, you can see that the impact of this external support has led to a war in which the Ukraine government is against its people. The Kiev government continues to escalate the situation by using heavy ammunition against protesters. Russia is being provoked in this whole crisis – we have our people living in Ukraine and we would not like to see Russians being killed in Ukrain. If it happens we will be forced to interfere. But I am sure that if we interfere, the USA will say that we are meddling in Ukraine’s affairs and then they [USA] will justify what they are doing in Ukraine by instigating the government to forcefully suppress the protests. The provocations on Russia are mounting, several days ago there were attempts to take over both our consulate and embassy in Ukraine. We just want the Kiev government to keep its promise, which is to stop military operations. Speaking is easy but nothing is being done. The Ukraine authorities also want to close the Ukraine -Russia border but this is not the way out of this situation. They should talk to their people and find a solution, whether it is by decentralising power or federalisation.”
NE: So are you saying Russia is being wrongfully accused of having caused the crisis in Ukraine?
AK: “Yes. We have not interfered in the affairs of Ukraine since the crisis. Those claiming that Russia has sent troops to Ukraine because we want to interfere are also wrong. Russia has always had troops in Ukraine, 22 000 to be exact. There is a standing agreement that Russia may not have more than25 000 soldiers in Ukraine, therefore the soldiers we sent into Ukraine when the crisis started are still not over the 25 000 ceiling.”
NE: Russia is a member of BRICS an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. What benefits could developing countries such as Namibia derive from BRICS? And what are the main objectives of BRICS?
AK: “Leading countries have common interest and have a lot to benefit when cooperating. There are talks to create a development fund, which can also be used to assist those countries who are not part of the BRICS community. We have to work out parameters regarding the size of the fund and how it will be established operationally. I think it is a promising organisation because developing countries are facing common challenges. Namibia and others can benefit from BRICS but more talking needs to be done. At the last summit which was held in South Africa, non-member countries were invited to participate on the sidelines to see how they can benefit.”
NE: There has been growing interest from the eastern and western world when it comes to investing in Africa. There are fears that this recent scramble for Africa could have adverse affects on all stakeholders. What do you make of this situation?
AK: “I believe that this kind of competition should not be regarded as one country pushing the other out, but each country should rather find its own niche because there is enough room for cooperation in Africa. I therefore hope that this competition does not bring about any negativity.”
NE: How is Russia’s involvement with Africa when it comes to investing in Africa?
AK: “Our percentage of investment is rather low, simply because we were never economically active in Africa because we have the same rich-resource territories. Our relations are more in the political sphere. We have over the past decades supported the struggle for independence for African states.”
NE: What is the current state of Namibia and Russia’s bilateral relations in the political, economic and bilateral trade spheres?
AK: “Politically we are close and we hold consultations, so I can say we are actively in contact. We also look at world problems through the same eye. In terms of economy, much needs to be done especially to bring business communities together, we have experience in fields such as mining and fisheries, something which is of interest to Namibia. Education is also one of the fields in which we have relations because there is a great desire from Namibian students to receive education. There are currently over 200 Namibian students studying in Russia and most are involved in the medicine field. Until last year, we granted 25 scholarships to the Namibian government, this year it was increased to 45. There is however a sad trend whereby not all the scholarships are taken up. Last year only one out of the 25 scholarships was taken up. ”
NE: And what are the challenges that face the two countries to maximise their cooperation and what are the two countries doing to improve and enhance this bilateral cooperation?
AK: “Much needs to be done to introduce the Namibian business community to their Russian counterparts. Namibia has done well to introduce Namibia to countries such as India, China and the United Arab Emirates. I hope Russia will also be considered.”
NE: On a lighter note what do you do in your spare time? What are your hobbies?
AK: “I spend most of my free time reading because it provides additional information. Every now and then I also go for walks around town. I must say I like Windhoek because of its atmosphere and pleasant people. People here are very hospitable and friendly.”
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