"Search for ways of rapprochement": why the head of the German Foreign Ministry declared the need for cooperation with Russia

Answer the pressing questions of world politics without the participation of Moscow is impossible, says German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. As the minister said on the eve of the plenary meeting of the Russian-German forum "Petersburg Dialogue", cooperation with Russia is still necessary, despite the differences.

"Only if we cooperate, we will achieve sustainable peace in Europe," - said in a statement the minister, published by the press service of the German Foreign Ministry.

The Petersburg Dialogue Forum was founded in 2001 under the patronage of the President of the Russian Federation and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Plenary sessions and round tables in ten working groups are held annually as part of this event. This year's plenary session is held in the German cities of Königswinter and Bonn, and the foreign ministers of both countries take part in it.

The Petersburg Dialogue is an important link between our societies. It is in politically difficult times that we need to develop more cooperation between people in our countries, ”said the head of the German Foreign Ministry.

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According to Dmitry Danilov, head of the European Security Department at the Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences, behind Heiko Maas’s words about the need for cooperation with Russia, there is an awareness that the crisis in the European security system was too long.

“I think that in Berlin they understand that in order to solve it, interaction with Moscow is necessary,” said Danilov in an interview with RT.

"Historical ties with Russia"

The politically difficult period in relations between Moscow and Western countries began in 2014 — after the Crimean Peninsula became part of the Russian Federation, and in the Donbas an armed conflict broke out between the militias and the Ukrainian army.

The US and its allies, including the EU, have responded to these events with personal sanctions against a number of Russian officials, as well as restrictive measures against various sectors of the Russian industry and financial sector. In response, Moscow introduced counter sanctions, which were primarily imported food products. The sanction war caused significant damage to all parties, but most of the first months were affected by European agricultural producers, who had previously focused on supplies to Russia.

Restrictions to a large extent affected the European engineering. As the Deputy Secretary General of the European Commission said in 2014, then this post was occupied by Henrik Holole, it was the technology sector that suffered the most from sanctions in financial terms.

• Freight cars in Germany
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• © Ina Fassbender

In German political circles there are constantly appeals to stop the sanctions standoff. For example, the proposal to the dpa agency was made recently by the Prime Minister of Saxony Michael Kretschmer.

“You can't do without it. It was right that Russia regained its right to vote in the Council of Europe (PACE. - RT ) and Germany forced the construction of the Nord Stream — 2 gas pipeline. The next step should be the lifting of sanctions, ”the politician said.

According to Krechmer, although the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict is an important issue, sanctions do not contribute to its resolution.

Earlier, a similar appeal was made by the Prime Minister of the Federal Land of Mecklenburg - Western Pomerania, Manuel Schwezig. In her opinion, it will be difficult for German agricultural producers to return to the Russian market even if sanctions are lifted, since Russia has established its own production over the years, and is also actively cooperating with China.

The fact that representatives of the eastern regions of Germany are particularly dissatisfied with the sanctions is economically motivated, experts say.

According to a recent report by the Eastern Committee of the German economy, the eastern regions of the republic suffered the most from sanctions. In 2013–2018, their trade turnover with Russia fell by about a third, and in Saxony this figure was altogether 72.5%. Western regions suffered smaller losses from sanctions - about 17%.

At the same time, according to German sociologists, more than half of East Germans are in favor of lifting sanctions. According to a recent survey conducted by the Kantar Emnid public opinion research institute commissioned by FOCUS magazine, 54% of respondents in the eastern regions adhere to this position. In the western part of the country, 36% of residents support the lifting of restrictions.

“The sanctions hit hardest in the eastern regions of the FRG, because they maintained close historical ties with Russia, which remained even after the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Danilov explained.

“They continue to believe in the Russian market”

However, despite the restrictive measures, the trade communication between Russia and Germany continues. According to the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce, in the first quarter of 2019, German companies invested € 1.76 billion in the Russian economy, which is a third higher than in the same period last year.

“Despite the weak market situation, German companies continue to believe in the Russian market,” said Mattias Schepp, chairman of the organization’s board.

At the same time, over the past year, German business invested € 3.2 billion in Russian companies, which was a record figure over the past decade.

As Mattias Shepp explained in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, a significant proportion of investors are represented by small family-owned companies whose shares are not traded on the stock exchange, so such enterprises are not afraid of sanctions from the United States.

However, large companies sometimes have to face open pressure, experts say. For example, Washington discovered the obstacles to cooperation between Russia and Germany within the framework of the Nord Stream 2.

Coordination of this energy project began in 2012. Shareholders of the first branch of the "Nord Stream" agreed to increase the transmission capacity of the pipeline due to the laying of the third and fourth lines of the pipeline. The project was named the Nord Stream - 2 - after its launch, the annual volume of gas supplied under the Baltic Sea to Europe will reach 110 billion cubic meters. The project is managed by the international consortium Nord Stream 2 AG, which includes the Russian Gazprom, ENGIE (France), OMV (Austria), Shell (Great Britain), as well as German Uniper and Wintershall.

• Construction of the “Nord Stream — 2”
• © nord-stream2.com

Although the gas pipeline has already been built more than half of the projected length, the White House does not leave attempts to prevent construction - the United States has previously threatened European companies involved in the project with sanctions. Washington states that a further increase in Russian gas supplies will put European energy in dependence on Moscow. However, Berlin and other European project participants reject such assumptions and continue to implement the project.

"Protracted situation"

At the same time, Berlin does not dare to ease or lift sanctions. As stated earlier by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, this will be possible only if progress is made in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. This was the German leader said during a joint press conference with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel
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• © Michael Dalder

The desire of the West to link the lifting of sanctions with the implementation of the Minsk agreements has virtually nullified the chances for real progress in bilateral relations, experts say. Indeed, in practice, Kiev ignores its obligations - for example, the Ukrainian authorities have not yet adopted amendments to the federalization of the country.

According to political analysts, one cannot hope for a quick implementation of the agreements even after Vladimir Zelensky became the president of Ukraine.

“The most that can be expected is a cease-fire. But there are no prerequisites for a political settlement. It is clear that this is a very protracted situation, but we need to look for a way out to establish Russian-European relations right now, ”Danilov is sure.

At the same time, experts doubt that the US will support the normalization of relations between Russia and the European Union, even if the Minsk agreements are fully implemented.

“If progress on the Minsk agreements is indeed achieved, Washington will still slow down the restoration of normal interaction between the EU and Russia. The transatlantic commitments of European countries will always interfere with the decisive changes in relations between Russia and Europe to some extent, ”Dmitry Danilov is sure.

The head of the regional problems and conflicts sector of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations named after Primakov of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Voronov also holds a similar point of view.

“It is quite possible that if progress on the Minsk agreements is really achieved, Washington will still interfere with the full-fledged dialogue between the EU and Russia,” the source said.

However, despite all the difficulties, a rapprochement between Moscow and the EU is possible, Danilov said, according to whom, we can expect mutual progress in new areas of economic and political cooperation.

“In any case, Russia and the EU agree that it is necessary to develop a selective partnership primarily on large-scale economic projects, such as Nord Stream 2.” And today, those European forces that are in favor of finding ways of rapprochement are now increasing their influence, which will allow the parties to open up new opportunities for cooperation, ”the expert concluded.