by Kostis Geropoulos RHODES, Greece - The new European Commission of Jean-Claude Juncker can help repair the damaged relations between the European Union and Russia, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe Walter Schwimmer told New Europe on the Greek Island of Rhodes. Asked if the new Commission can make the situation better or worse for EU-Russia ties, Schwimmer said, “I hope they will make it better because I fully rely on Jean-Claude Juncker. He is first of all a true European; he is one who thinks in larger dimensions of Europe. Jean-Claude Juncker for sure agrees with me that there is no Europe without Russia nor Russia without Europe, that the European Union needs good relations with Russia, he is a man of the political centre – not an extremist in no way and he is pragmatic”. Schwimmer was speaking in an interview on September 26 on the sidelines of the “Rhodes Forum 2014 - Preventing World War through Global Solidarity” which ends on Sunday, September 28. He said Juncker can achieve political compromise. “He will be against bureaucratic tendencies. The appointment of [Frans] Timmermans and putting him in charge of reducing bureaucracy in the European Union, I think is very good decision. It also shows that he is a man of political compromise because Timmermans is a Social Democrat,” Schwimmer said, referring to the Dutch foreign minister. Schwimmer said that what is missing is an exit strategy in the whole sanction policy against Russia. “An economic war would be real nonsense because then for sure both sides would suffer as both sides suffer already from the sanctions and counter-sanctions. And here I fully agree with [Vladimir] Yakunin,” Schwimmer said, adding that only countries outside Europe will benefit from an economic war between Brussels and Moscow. “Maybe not only America, maybe it is also China and India who will benefit from an economic war within Europe but it’s not in favour of Europe – that’s for sure,” Schwimmer said. Russian Railways and its chief Yakunin have still not been included on the EU list of sanctions. Yakunin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sanctioned by the US already in the spring, while the EU still has not done it. Regarding the new European Commission, Yakunin told a small group of foreign journalists on September 27 that he did not rule out more sanctions but it was unlikely. “I’m not that much acquainted with the figures though some of them I know, but I should tell that judging by the way Brussels followed - if not orders – some recommendations concerning sanctioning Russia and Russians it could be possible,” he said, answering a question from New Europe on whether he expected the EU to toughen its stance against Russia using more sanctions. “But I doubt that would be the course of development in relations between Europe and Russia because it is obvious that the world cannot sustain without Europe, without Russia, without the United States of America and the globe is a very small flat, apartment for housing mankind so sooner or later these deeds should be changed,” Yakunin said. Asked by New Europe if he prefers to do individual deals with EU member states instead of the EU, the Russian Railways chief said that “as far as economic relations are concerned, I never experienced any hardship on the part of my partners, on the part of the companies or on the part of any circles. So I do not have any reservations with that”. Yakunin said he sees no practical reason for European countries to sanction him. “We’re closely linked in terms of cargo traffic, passenger traffic and no one can find any sign that my activity, my professional deeds are against the interests of railways in Europe,” he said, adding that on the contrary “we are discussing mutual activity plans; we are discussing questions of mutual interests”. The Russian Railways chief said that the American administration’s decision to sanction him makes no practical sense. “The explanation that he is in good terms with the Russian leadership is foolish. You take any head of railways in Europe inevitably he is close contacts with the head of the government,” he quipped. Yakunin, who is also the World Public Forum’s Founding President, promoted the event, saying it is aspiring to create an “unbiased dialogue of civilisations and interaction to tackle new threats to mankind”. Asked by New Europe at a Rhodes Forum press breakfast on September 26 whether he saw a new Cold War, Yakunin said the term is no longer relevant. “I suppose we cannot use terms like Cold War because the Cold War was the product of the struggle-fight of two ideologies: Communist ideology and so-called Capitalist ideology,” he said. “From the point of view of the relations in Europe or between America and Europe that is not Cold War. This is something absolutely different,” he said. Yakunin termed this as “the policy of global domination and suppression”. He also claimed that the EU is not taking into account the balance of all European interests. “Brussels is saying to a particular country that your law is not relevant in some cases, you should follow the ideology and the policy of the EU,” he said. For his part, Schwimmer, who was also present at the press breakfast, told New Europe in the interview later that some politicians are still using Cold War terminology. “He [Yakunin] rejected the term Cold War. I have the impression some politicians use again the terminology of the Cold War,” he said. Schwimmer said that in his view the Baltic countries and Poland are different from the rest of Europe in that respect. “They have, of course, bad experiences of the Soviet Union and when there is again armed conflict when Russian, pro-Russian forces are involved maybe they are some fears which can be understood from history of these countries,” he said. “But it’s the wrong lesson from history to be learned. The real lesson from history to be learned is there is no armed solution, there is no solution by violence for conflicts – only dialogue and agreement and compromise are good solutions,” Schwimmer said. Rhodes Forum 2014 discussions focused on preventing another World War. Matthias Platzeck, former Social Democratic Party leader and German-Russian Forum chairman, told New Europe on September 26 sometimes he asks himself a question: “What is the end goal of the sanctions?” “Very often Baltic and Polish colleagues say we have to strengthen the sanctions up to the moment that Putin is gone. I’ve got two arguments against this. First, I think the man or woman after Putin won’t be any more European-friendly,” Platzeck said. “Second, I couldn’t believe any destabilised Russia with nuclear weapons. If there would be any civil war in Russia this kind of situation would stabilise the whole world.”
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