2023-05-16 13:51:00
According to Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), the West can “in a certain way be grateful” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He ripped us out of our daydreams and pushed us back into history. At the same time he galvanized us, he forced us to see world events differently,” said Schallenberg on Tuesday at the international conference “Time to Decide Europe Summit”. in Vienna.
“We probably won’t like what we’re seeing, but I think that moment of truth is helpful, it can become a moment of strength,” said Schallenberg.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, there is no going back to the “status quo ante,” said the Foreign Minister. Schallenberg compared the Russian war of aggression to an earthquake whose tectonic effects would last for a long time. But he is optimistic. The West has so far “emerged stronger than it thought” from this situation, also from an economic point of view. “The lights haven’t gone out in Europe.”
“Learn the language of power”
Schallenberg quoted EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as saying that unity is not enough, “we have to learn the language of power”. The EU’s “most important homework” is to “anchor the neighborhood”. According to Schallenberg, this applies to the Western Balkans, but also to Ukraine and Moldova. “The Western Balkans is not our backyard, it’s our center court,” he said, using the term for a tennis tournament’s main court. The enlargement is also not a legalistic approach, but “our most important geostrategic instrument”. For Schallenberg, the expansion of the EU to include the Western Balkans is “the litmus test”. Should the EU fail here, it would lose credibility.
At the same time, Schallenberg warned Europeans not to be too egocentric. The narrative that the war in Ukraine is regarding a struggle between liberal democracies once morest autocracy or between good and evil is not shared by many countries in the Global South. Black-and-white thinking and “moral pointers” would only support the Russian narrative of European imperialism, said Schallenberg. As an example, Schallenberg cited Vietnam, which borders China and did not condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine.
EU Commission Vice Frans Timmermans demanded in his video speech: “We must meet Putin with unity and strength.” Timing plays a crucial role here. Support for Ukraine must be “as soon as possible and for as long as necessary,” said Timmermans. At the same time, China’s aggressiveness poses an additional risk.
Europe must first be able to imagine the unimaginable, said Timmermans. With regard to the experiences with the American Trump administration, the Dutchman demanded that Europe assume its responsibility in NATO. Europe must also stand by its values.
The “Time to Decide Europe Summit” conference is taking place in Vienna for the second time this year. The first conference was held in 2022 in light of the Russian attack on Ukraine. It is organized by the Erste Foundation and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM). (apa)
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