Although the EU might benefit from hearing dissenting voices, Moscow doesn’t want the bloc to remain divided. Says Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated that despite assertions to the contrary, Russia does not pursue a foreign policy intended to divide the West, or the EU in particular.
She said in a radio interview on Wednesday that the bloc should benefit from showing more tolerance for opposing viewpoints given how much harm its ‘unified’ approach to Russia has caused.
Zakharova compared the EU to the group of blind men depicted in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting, “The Blind Leading the Blind,” from the Dutch Renaissance.
“They are united. No one in this group, who are being led towards a ditch, voices any doubt, objects, asks questions or protests,” she said.
Brussels’ approach towards Russia is similar, the spokeswoman suggested, noting the “strange suicidal initiatives that are attributed to the EU, but are actually imposed or planted” by an outside force.
She continued by saying that the EU does not allow dissenting views when it comes to Russia, which is remarkable given that the EU professes to value democracy, a system in which viewpoints that differ from the mainstream are meant to be valued.
Many politicians in the West assert that Russia is attempting to split the bloc with its actions, but this is untrue, according to Zakharova. Our aim is to bring common sense back into international affairs, if anything.
Her comments were made during a discussion about the EU’s proposed ban on Russian visas on the radio. Ukraine and a few other Eastern European countries support the proposal, but countries in Western Europe like Germany and France think less extreme limitations should be put in place.
