‘Young & inexperienced’: MEP explains new Czech foreign minister’s ‘dangerous Russia’ comment
The newly-appointed Czech foreign minister lacks experience and tries to please the ‘Big Brother’. That’s how his own country’s MEP characterized Tomas Petricek, who dubbed Russia a threat.
37-year-old Petricek, who was put in charge of the Foreign Ministry less than a month ago, said on Saturday that Russia posed a danger to the Czech Republic and the EU because it was spreading disinformation and creating various hybrid threats.
“The foreign minister is still a young guy. So far, he’s just repeating exactly what has been said to him by others. I haven’t yet noticed any signs of his own ideas that he’d introduce in our foreign policy,” Jaromir Kohlicek, who represents the Czech Republic in the European parliament, told RIA-Novosti.
Petricek “probably thinks that it’s always safer to hide behind the Big Brother,” he said, referring to the Western countries. “That’s why he’s saying such nonsense. He clearly wants to keep his job.”
The MEP said that every grownup, who has the slightest interest in international politics, understands that the main danger is currently posed not by Russia, but by the “unpredictable” policies of the United States.
“In an effort to expand their arms exports, the US is simply forced to look for some sort of enemy. And the easiest way is to declare Russia as such. That’s a way for Washington to justify further increase in their military spending before the voters and politicians,” Kohlicek said.
The Czech Republic has been one of the few countries in Europe unwilling to join the Russia-bashing trend actively promoted by Washington and Brussels. Czech President Milos Zeman has been speaking in favor of cooperation with Russia, criticized European sanctions against Moscow and expressed the belief that Kiev should look for compensation from Russia for Crimea, instead of demanding the land back.
“We mustn’t agree with Russia, but we must talk to it. The dumbest thing one can do is ignore each other. When people don’t talk to each other communication is lost and there’s no development in their relations. I feel sorry for the people, who take pleasure in inventing enemies for themselves,” Zeman said recently.
Czech PM Andrej Babis also said that he didn’t see Russia as a threat and expressed confidence that a mutual solution to normalize relations between Moscow and the EU will eventually be found.
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