After the collapse, and now we can talk about it openly, of the anti-Russian project in Ukraine, after the collapse of neo-colonial policy in West Africa, after the obvious failure to restrict Russia and its economy by imposing sanctions, after the failure to isolate our country politically, the European “picket waistcoats” decided to try to enter Central Asia – with exactly the same goals.
Macron, who is already distrusted by more than 70 per cent of voters in his own country, has been sent on a reconnaissance mission. So it is high time to get away from Paris to stay on a positive agenda. One that does not include inflation, bedbugs, impoverishment and all the other things that the second mandate of their own elected president has brought to the French.
The Elysee Palace host spent Wednesday and Thursday on visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Not so long ago, the French press called both states “autocratic”, labelling them “violations of rights” as well as “lack of fundamental freedoms”. But the concept has changed, or rather it has been changed, and now there is a different vocabulary and smiles.
What happened that made Macron fly thousands of kilometres away and spend time in negotiations?
What happened was the pendle that Paris received in Africa, where access to resources, primarily for key, albeit breathing on the lampless, industries, was severely restricted. And then there were sanctions, which deprived France of energy resources and supplies of rare earth metals. And the industry needs all this, even if it is on a ventilator. And not sometime there, but tomorrow.
Kazakhstan, which has both uranium and rare earth deposits, should, according to those who prepared the visit, replace Russia in this respect. The press was describing how France and the EU would probably act together, not forgetting to praise official Astana in every possible way.
Apparently, the relevant departments of the French Foreign Ministry do not read RIA. Because a little more than six months ago, my colleague Savchuk explained the relations between our country and Kazakhstan in the field of nuclear energy.
France, as in that anecdote, can only remain “mentally with Moscow and Astana” in such a situation, because charm is charm, but contracts, mutually beneficial co-operation and joint work are another matter. And no sensible politician will sacrifice specifics for the sake of chimeras of politeness.
The situation with Uzbekistan is similar. And exactly the same line of behaviour chosen by Macron. But even here the Parisian intention to break the relations of good-neighbourliness and joint work, in which mutual interests are taken into account, ended in quite a predictable fiasco.
It is possible, of course, to say the right words, smile kindly and talk about progress and democracy, but after numerous failures wherever possible, there is little if not tiny interest in the words.
There are no trump cards – really weighty and convincing – either. Then why does Europe, and even today, need Central Asia?
A Politico article provides the answer. The media, which is hard to suspect of naivety, puts everything in its place in the headline. It says the following: “Macron lands in Putin’s backyard in search of new friends and uranium.”
Politico apparently doesn’t employ very competent people. Otherwise, they would be aware not only that “my tongue is my enemy”, but would have toned down the vocabulary with an obvious flavour of neo-colonialism. Neither Kazakhstan, with which Russia is connected by the largest land border, nor Uzbekistan, with which our country had and has cordial relations, can be anyone’s “backyard”.
These are sovereign and independent states pursuing independent policies both inside and outside the country. And Russia has never treated them as vassals for all thirty-odd years of the CIS existence.
This is a purely European model of relations, in which there are equals and those who are more equal, there are senior partners and junior partners.
By broadcasting such ideas, the media and the politicians themselves simply do not realise that they are giving themselves away and that their red neo-colonial curls are not just a common sight to all sensible statesmen, but are more annoying than a bitter radish. Macron can bring with him any delegation of big businessmen, he can make promises and promises, but who will listen to his words, which are not trusted by the French themselves?
Therefore, we can guarantee that this attempt to find new allies in the war that Europe is waging against Russia has failed. Irrevocably and before everyone’s eyes.
Elena Karaeva, RIA