Schwarzenberg finds excuses for meeting with last dictator of Europe

Now former Czech Foreign Minister says that one “cannot be a Europe’s friend” without respecting human rights.

The former Czech Foreign Minister, prince Karel Schwarzenberg has given an interview to Radio Svaboda and answered a number of pointed questions:

-Mr. Schwarzenberg, about 4 months have passed since the Eastern Partnership has been created, and Belarus joined it. It has happened so, that you as a Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, a country presiding in the EU then, passed an invitation to Alyaksandr Lukashenka t join the project. You were a dissenter in the past, you struggled against the repressive Communist regime of Gustáv Husák. Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime is also authoritarian and repressive. Have you felt an irony of the situation bringing such an invitation to Minsk?

- You know, a foreign minister should meet with everybody. It is like a priest’s work, who cannot avoid sinners. Sometimes it is my main occupation – to talk to sinners – like a priest does. So I see no irony in this trip. It was rather entertaining and interesting for me. It was a part of my work as a Foreign Minister.

- You were in fact the first representative of Europe who pronounced the important precondition for normalization of relations between the official Minsk and the EU. Back in February this year you stated that in case independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Belarus “would face very serious problems” in its participation in the Eastern Partnership project, as it would appear “outside the European context”. But hasn’t it happened so that geo-political factors are of crucial importance in the present policy of the EU towards Belarus? And as for human rights, it would be good for Belarus to respect human rights. But if the situation is different, Belarus would still have a place in the Eastern Partnership, wouldn’t it?

- Many factors played a role there. Undoubtedly, we tried to attract Belarus to Europe, to make it less dependent on Russia, and maintained its independent stand. For sure, one cannot be a full-fledged member of the European Union, or even its close friend if human rights are disregarded. But sometimes one should simply launch a policy and look what would result from it.

- Mr. Schwarzenberg, how do you understand the term “moral politics”?

- Moral politics is when all our thoughts are clear from the moral point of view, and when the means to obtain your aims are compatible with moral principles. But you do not meet exclusively good people in your life, neither in personal or business life. And not only wonderful people are met in politics. As I have said to you, one has to talk to almost everybody as a Foreign minister, in order to look for possibilities of understanding. If such a minister is able to prevent worsening of a situation, if he is able to ensure independence of a country, it is moral politics.

- And now a question about a top issue of the world politics over the last few days. Obama’s administration has decided not to place missile shield elements in the Czech Republic and Poland. Once as a head of the Czech Foreign Ministry you have done a lot for this project to be realized. What is your estimation of this decision by the US president? Do you agree that in this way the US “sold” Eastern Europe to the US? To your mind, has it reduced security of the Czech Republic, if not from military and technical, then from a psychological point of view?

-I wouldn’t use such strong words in this case. I think this estimation is a bit exaggerated. I always hoped that every US president would conduct a policy which would primarily meet the interests of the American nation. Evidently, President Obama and his administration are sure that making such important concessions, they secured the backing of Russia in their policy towards Iran. As I think, it is the main reason for the decision of the US President and his administration. And we should agree to this decision concerning the American radar, which was to appear in the Czech Republic. Our country, as the US, belongs to the NATO, but to not forget that it was the US radar. And it depends only on the Americans where to place it.

We are still in the NATO, and in the EU, so I do not think that our security is jeopardized in any way. Undoubtedly, because of many reasons it would be good for the US military presence to be in our region too. It is excluded so far. Let us see what would happen in five or ten years, and how the events would develop. I am sure that in case of any serious crisis the US will be our reliable ally. But certainly this decision outs us in an awkward position. The government I had an honour to represent as a Foreign Minister, put many efforts to implement this project.

However, I do not think the US have sold Eastern Europe to somebody. The decision shows clearly that American priorities are now in a different place – in the Middle East, Iran and the Persian Gulf. So the US Administration wants to have better relations with Russia, as many problems have amassed, and these countries are to solve them together. So they have made this step. We should agree to that. Life is life, and politics remains politics.