Kommersant: Iraqi industry awaits Russian investment
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim visited Moscow, where he held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Borisov and top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov. That was his first trip to Russia and his first foreign tour after assuming office last October, Kommersant writes.
According to the Iraqi minister, Baghdad earmarked funds for joint ventures with Russia for the next four years. For his part, Lavrov noted that Moscow is interested in cultivating bilateral trade, economic and investment ties. He recalled that some Russian companies in the energy sector like Lukoil, Gazprom Neft and Soyuzneftegaz were working in Iraq, while Rosneft was showing interest in Iraqi projects.
When focusing on promising areas for cooperation, the top Iraqi diplomat mentioned the power industry and agriculture.
"Iraq has many projects on rebuilding the country, especially in those areas, which suffered at the hands of the Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia). The more countries seek to be involved in these projects, the fiercer the competition will get and the lower the cost for the Iraqi authorities. This being so, Iraq is interested in Russian businesses," Ruslan Mamedov, Program Coordinator at the Russian International Affairs Council, told the paper.
He also noted that political cooperation with Russia is essential for Baghdad as well. "Iraq depends heavily on the US and Iran. If Baghdad has other reliable partners, it will have more room for maneuvering," he stressed.
Izvestia: End to Venezuela’s crisis hinges on military
Venezuela experienced more opposition protests on Wednesday led by National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido who declared himself the country’s interim president last week. The demonstrations sought to prod the army towards the opposition so that they can gain the upper hand in the power struggle, Izvestia writes.
The issue of whether or not Venezuela’s army will side with the protesters is of fundamental importance, as evidenced by 12 military coups the country saw in the 20th century. So far, only Jose Luis Silva, Venezuela’s military attache at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, has defected to the opposition since January 23. That move was immediately condemned as an "act of cowardice" and "high treason."
"In recent days, all high-ranking military officials have repeatedly spoken out in favor of supporting the constitutional President Nicolas Maduro, and this will not change by any means. The lawmaker who declared himself president violates our constitution, and he can be called a criminal, because he holds a position he is not entitled to," Venezuelan Ambassador to Russia Carlos Rafael Faria Tortosa told Izvestia.
Meanwhile, the experts interviewed by the paper agreed that the country could not be in a state of dual power for a long time, and the use of force to resolve the crisis cannot be ruled out. "Anyway, this is a temporary phenomenon, which should result in a certain solution. One of the parties is bound to emerge victorious. In all likelihood, this political standoff can spiral into an armed conflict," Vladimir Davydov, Academic Director at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Latin American Studies, explained.
Russia, for its part, has said more than once it is opposed to outside interference, calling for direct dialogue between the parties. In light of that, it is a small wonder that Nicolas Maduro is trying to reach out to Russia and China, MGIMO University Professor Vladimir Sudarev told the paper. These are the only UN Security Council permanent members who could support him, the expert added.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: US taking back its foothold in Western Hemisphere
The political unrest engulfing Venezuela raises the question of whether the left-wing Bolivarian Republic will survive. That being so, whatever way the current crisis ends, the issue at hand is the survival of one of the last regimes in South America opposing the US, Alexey Fenenko, Associate Professor at the Moscow State University’s Faculty of World Politics, wrote in his article in Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
Fifteen years ago, the US was gradually losing its foothold in the Western Hemisphere, with left-wing presidents coming to power in leading Latin American countries, namely, Brazil and Argentina. They achieved the unification of two integration groups, Mercosur and the Andean Community, into a single bloc known as the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). In addition to that, an even more left-wing and anti-American ALBA alliance consisting of Venezuela and Cuba was formed. They were later joined by Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Honduras and a number of Caribbean nations. Together, UNASUR and ALBA formed two fronts (moderate and radical) to counter the US, the expert stressed.
However, Washington has recouped its positions in the Western Hemisphere over the past ten years. At first, President Barack Obama made its mainstay - the Organization of American States - a mediator in the domestic political crisis in Honduras, which resulted in its withdrawal from ALBA. Later on, the Obama administration shielded its ally Colombia from pressure by Venezuela and Ecuador, thereby demonstrating the limits of expanding the ‘Bolivarian’ ideology in Latin America. Hugo Chavez’s death in 2013 likewise consolidated Washington’s position, because his successor Maduro who pursued the same policy stripped it of an offensive ideological component.
According to Fenenko, the fall of Maduro will provide the United States with its trump card to return to South America. Without Venezuela’s oil resources and its favorable strategic location, ALBA will be divided into two territorial enclaves, the Caribbean (Cuba and Nicaragua) and the Pacific (Bolivia and Ecuador). It will be easier for the US to control them, the more so since they cannot expect support from either Brazil or Argentina.
The Americans are persistently trying to revive pan-Americanism, a political doctrine based on the idea of common historical destiny, the economy and culture of North and South America. The United States controlling the Western Hemisphere will be able to project force to the Eastern Hemisphere much more resolutely, without anticipating retaliatory measures from Moscow and Beijing near its borders.
That was the underlying reason for the current crisis involving Venezuela, which all politicians should take into account, he concluded.
Izvestia: Moscow, Chisinau agree to ease procedures for importing Moldovan goods
During the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon in Moscow the parties agreed on resuming the transit of Moldovan goods to Russia through Ukraine. Along with the removal of customs duties, this move will make it possible to boost trade between the two countries, Izvestia writes. Putin noted though that future bilateral relations would depend on the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova.
Although Dodon is a pro-Russian leader, he has one serious challenge, specifically, his authority is limited, Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee, stressed in an interview with the paper.
"At some point, when they need to force an anti-Russian bill through, the parliament temporarily strips the elected president of his powers, approves any regulatory document and then returns power to the head of state again. I have never seen anything like that anywhere in the world," the senator pointed out.
The Putin-Dodon meeting is important for addressing major obstacles, which have piled up in the country recently, Moldovan lawmaker from the Party of Socialists Vladimir Tsurkan told Izvestia. In his view, the top-level bilateral meetings play a pivotal role in sorting out the Transnistrian crisis. He also noted it was important to tackle economic issues, since Russia has been an important market for Moldovan goods.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Washington views Moscow-Beijing alliance as threat
Russia and China pose the biggest threats to the US, and relations between them are closer than they have been in decades, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has asserted. According to the US intelligence chief, while China and Russia are strengthening their cooperation, Washington’s ties with its allies are weakening because of changes in the White House’s security and trade policies.
Considering the current sentiment of the American establishment, accusations against Russia and China during the Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing can hardly come as a surprise to anyone, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.
Today, the two powers cooperate economically, in international organizations and in the military sphere. However, Chinese political scientists have stressed on numerous occasions that China does not need a military alliance with Russia, primarily because that would undermine the West’s confidence in Beijing.
Why are the US intelligence agencies paying such close attention to the Russian-Chinese alliance? "The US special services obviously want to present their two major enemies, Russia and China, interrelated to each other. Their objective is to make communication with them toxic," Alexei Maslov, Head of the School of Asian Studies at the Higher School of Economics, told the paper.
The US must be frightened by their joint arms-related projects. However, Russia is reluctant to transfer its technologies and weapons samples, in spite of China’s requests. Moreover, Moscow and Beijing have no large joint research and technology laboratories, while the US and China had some until recently. "The Americans are probably trying to be ahead of the curve. They warned that rapprochement between Russia and China was imminent, and it is necessary to gear up for that," the expert emphasized.
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