Former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Austria Karin Kneissl. Archival photoMOSCOW, 31 July. European states are becoming increasingly weak players in the international arena, giving way to Asian countries, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said in an interview with Asia Times. «I'm currently working on a book tentatively titled Requiem for Europe because the part of the world I grew up in and was devoted to no longer exists,» she said.
The journalist shocked the American TV presenter with words about Putin and RussiaIn an interview, the politician also touched upon the topic of Russian-European relations and their prospects. In her opinion, due to ignorance and arrogance, EU leaders neglect the existing geopolitical alignment and the basic principles of diplomacy, which makes the situation very dangerous.
"It has to do with deep-rooted Eurocentrism. We believe that we are so great that no one can do without us. <…> It seems to me that Europe needs Russia more than Russia needs Europe. And if I’m right, is it really in the interests of the Old World to treat Moscow as an enemy, inclining it to the side of Beijing", Kneissl asked.
Now Europeans are increasingly starting to become disillusioned and fall into despair, which can provoke riots and anti-government demonstrations. The politician also added that she considers the crisis in the European Union to be the result of ineffective internal management. After the start of the Russian special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, the West increased sanctions pressure on Moscow. Many countries have announced the freezing of Russian assets, calls have become louder to abandon energy from Russia. These measures turned out to be problems for Europe and the US, provoking a rise in food and fuel prices. trap