“At the moment there is no diplomatic solution” – kath.ch
The world longs for peace. But top diplomat Christoph Heusgen sees no glimmer of hope at the moment: “Russia has no interest in negotiations. As a result, the situation will be pretty much the same in six months as it is now,” he said at a discussion in Geneva.
Raphael Rauch
“Maison de la Paix – House of Peace” is the name of the building in Geneva in which three diplomatic experts are discussing Ukraine on Monday evening. But the “House of Peace” is currently more of a dream than reality. Everyone agrees that evening that the war will last a long time.
“We must stop Putin”
“I don’t see any diplomatic solution at the moment because Russia is not keeping to the agreements,” says Christoph Heusgen. For the long-time foreign policy advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one thing is certain: “The best thing we can do at the moment is to support Ukraine. Ukraine defends international law and it defends freedom in Europe.”
Christoph Heusgen has been chairman of the Munich Security Conference since this year. He is convinced: “If Putin wins this war, he will continue. Then it’s Moldova’s turn. And maybe the Baltic States too. We have to stop Putin and support Ukraine.”
Will Europe become war-weary in winter?
Christoph Heusgen assumes that Putin is betting on time games and Europe’s war-weariness in winter – because of high energy prices and inflation. “It’s a trap we mustn’t fall into.”
Rainbow flag with “No War” inscription.
Heusgen also warn against falling back into Cold War logic. “With that, we would relieve the countries from the south of their responsibility. But they too must position themselves clearly in favor of international law and freedom.” During the Cold War, many countries organized themselves as non-aligned states – and left geopolitics largely to Moscow and Washington.
“Even the Greens no longer believe in pacifism”
The chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Norbert Lammert, does not currently see a peaceful solution. “Even the Greens no longer believe in pacifism,” says the long-serving President of the Bundestag. The determination of the USA and Europe to support Ukraine is now all the more important.
Former Bundestag President Norbert Lammert.
Norbert Lammert is convinced that Russia is in a weaker position than the staging as a great power would suggest. «The Soviet Union was much more powerful than Russia is today. And yet she couldn’t prevent Eastern Europe from changing. We always hesitate to make our own positions strong.” But that is the only chance to win against Moscow. Lammert believes that if Europe appears weak, Russia looks bigger overall.
No Syria talks in Geneva? “That’s an excuse”
The former Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Thomas Greminger, does not expect that Switzerland will be eliminated as a mediator on the international stage because of its sanctions against Russia.
Thomas Greminger heads the Geneva Center for Security Policy.
«There is the official narrative, so we are no longer Russian and belong to the unfriendly states. that’s why Russian officials say Geneva is no longer an option for Syria talks.”
However, the Swiss diplomat Thomas Greminger sees this as an excuse: “The Russians are currently not really interested in negotiations.” Greminger is convinced that if Russia is genuinely interested in talks, then Geneva will come back into play as a venue for negotiations.
No peace in sight
And now? The prospect that conditions in Ukraine will not change quickly does not sound very optimistic. Even experienced politicians and diplomats like Norbert Lammert, Christoph Heusgen and Thomas Greminger don’t have a magic trick up their sleeve. The “House of Peace” will continue to be more of a dream than a reality.
Die “Geneva Security Debate» was an event of Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Geneva and the Geneva Center for Security Policy.
On Sunday, September 11, the Catholic Media Center, in cooperation with Missio and the Domestic Mission, will hold a service on the subject of “Peace Mission” – at 6 p.m. live from the parish of St. Anton in Bern-Bümpliz: www.kath.ch/live.
© Catholic Media Center, 09/05/2022
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