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1 Mar, 12:30

Europe turns into secondary player on international stage — ex-top Austrian diplomat

Karin Kneissl, former Austrian foreign minister, also noted Europe was showing "a disastrous approach to history"

MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Europe has cornered itself, turning into a secondary player on the international stage, Karin Kneissl, former Austrian foreign minister and head of the "G.O.R.K.I." center at St. Petersburg State University, said in an interview with TASS.

"We can already see the changes. If you carefully read some articles published in the recent months, you will see that Europe has turned into a secondary player on the international stage. This did not begin with [Donald] Trump’s [victory in the US presidential election]. Europe cornered itself," she pointed out, when asked how relations between Europe and the US would change under Trump.

Kneissl also noted Europe was showing "a disastrous approach to history." "This is particularly clear with regard to World War II, but not only that. I believe that it was ridiculous to describe Italy, Spain and Greece as Europe's periphery even though these are the countries that are crucial for European culture," she added. "All this is the result of historical obliviousness," Kneissl noted.

According to her, "without knowledge of your own history, it’s impossible to build a stable future for the coming generations.".