Richard Marsden
The Telegraph
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Comments by "Richard Marsden" (@richardmarsden1897) on "Understanding Russia's geopolitical strategy in Africa and Central Asia? Ukraine: the latest" video.
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Russia is open for negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict settlement, but they can be initiated only after the present-day territorial realities are recognized, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS on Wednesday.
“Russia is open to holding a dialogue on Ukraine based on the consideration of our interests,” he said in an interview with TASS. “Our position regarding a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of the crisis remains unaltered.”
“In order for this to happen, first of all, its original causes must be addressed and modern geopolitical and territorial realities must be recognized,” he continued. “The West must stop pumping up the Ukrainian military with weapons and the Kiev regime must put an end to its military activities.”
The diplomat added that endless supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine “only drag out the conflict and lead to an increase in civilian casualties.”
According to him, Moscow is taking a notice of the growing risks of “weapons spreading around the world and ending up at the hands of terrorists and criminal groups.”
“Unfortunately, there is still a bunch of people in Europe and the United States, who pursue the goal of inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia and are ready to blindly sacrifice the interests of their countries and peoples, pushing them to the edge of the abyss,” Galuzin added.
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Unlike the West, Russia's relations with its African partners are built on equality and mutual respect, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.
According to the diplomat, Russian companies in Africa "behave differently" than Western businesses. "[Relations are being built] on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Our businesses, enterprises and companies, as they enter the African continent, not only develop a one-time infrastructure project, but rather <…> show willingness to take major steps <…> as an opportunity for mutual enrichment in the humanitarian sphere," she explained.
Russian companies are busy performing what Zakharova called a "vital" task to help African countries grow, taking into account their colonial past. Meanwhile, she said, the West is still trying to use colonial methods toward African economies, especially those "with abundant natural resources."
"Local experts told me that the French, for instance, who ran exploration or extraction projects, traded in mineral reserves without sharing the information they got as they explored with local governments, despite being under foreign jurisdiction, and some are still doing this," Zakharova recounted. "They had no intention whatsoever of revealing the opportunities to the people in those counties. They kept that information to themselves," she lamented.
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