MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev believes that concepts to create a European security council and to re-examine the Schengen system are very sensible. According to the official, such initiatives stem from Europe’s efforts to respond to Washington’s unilateral policies.
"Modern Europe more and more frequently promotes such ideas [to create a European security council and to overhaul the Schengen system]. This is undeniably a sign that Europe is becoming more self-conscious, and Europe is aspiring to assert itself when its foreign policy independence is all but forfeited," Patrushev said in an interview with Izvestia.
He quoted ex-President of France Charles de Gaulle who said that Washington required all countries to follow it, otherwise the consequences would be grim. "This great French politician opposed the global economy being based on an unbacked US dollar and tried to steer the country out of NATO, but paid the price for it. The 1968 street demonstrations across France that forced de Gaulle to step down have been described by some historians as the first color revolution," the security official recalled.
He also drew attention to the fact that "in the post-war era all of Western Europe was in ruins, with its future was largely dependent on the US." "Today the situation is drastically different. The US is not only unwilling to invest in Europe, but also try to drain it as much as possible. They threaten them with trade wars and sanctions to slowly ruin European businesses for the sake of American prosperity," Patrushev noted.
According to the top security official, "Americans are just as arrogant when it comes to politics, lecturing European officials on how to secure their national interests." "At the same time, all of Europe is literally caught in a web of Trans-Atlantic financial flows that feed various organizations and think tanks that ensure that US policies are advanced in practice," the security official acknowledged. "Therefore, it is not a surprise that Europe is tired of such vassal dependence and wants to be freer in making decisions," Patrushev pointed out. He added that "the European businesses that seek to develop mutually beneficial and depoliticized relations with Russia are also appealing to politicians."