The countries of Europe are playing an increasingly smaller role in the world, both demographically and politically, while Asia is growing in importance. This opinion was expressed on July 30 by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Karin Kneissl, in an interview with the publication Asia Times.
In her opinion, the leaders of the European Union (EU), due to ignorance and arrogance, neglect the basic principles of diplomacy, which makes the situation dangerous.
“This is turning into a very dangerous situation because we have a complete disregard for reality, geographical reality, commodity reality, the basic concept of diplomacy,” Kneissl said.
In an interview, the ex-head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry also touched upon the topic of Russian-European relations and their prospects. In particular, the politician noted that Russian gas cannot be easily replaced. The crisis in Europe caused by anti-Russian sanctions, according to her, is a direct consequence of inefficient internal management.
Kneisl is currently working on a book called Requiem for Europe. She explained the choice of the title of the book by the fact that the part of the world in which she grew up “does not exist anymore.”
Earlier, on July 28, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that the sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia are not as fast as it was originally calculated. This is because, he believes, that the Russian army and the Russian Federation itself, due to its size, are more resistant to external influences.
At the same time, as Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on July 18, anti-Russian sanctions continue to negatively affect the Austrian economy, since Russia is an important trading partner for it.
In the same month, German journalist Eric Bonse, in an article for the Telepolis portal, pointed out that the unsuccessful political moves of the European Union would lead to a European crisis. He criticized the actions of Brussels, noting that because of his policy, problems arose in Germany, in addition, Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands are already “feverish”.
Since the beginning of the Russian military special operation to protect Donbass Western countries have adopted several packages of sanctions against Moscow. They touched the energy sector, the supply of high-tech and agricultural products. However, all this has already turned into economic problems, causing a sharp increase in fuel and food prices.
In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the refusal of a number of Western countries from normal cooperation with Russia, as well as from part of Russian energy resources, had already hit Europe and the United States, causing inflation and rising prices.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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