“The sign of relations degrading”

Moscowcourts’ sentences to Magnitsky and Navalny drew violent reaction in Russian society. Meanwhile, Europe’s official position in relation to these events remains rather restrained. While the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said she hoped for an appeal in the Navalny case, the German undersecretary of state Steffen Seibert called Navalny’s sentence “very stern,” while Germany’s minister of justice called the ruling in the Magnitsky case a “cynical and inhuman act.” The Day asked Barbara Oertel, journalist and expert on Eastern Europe at the German periodical Die Tageszeitung, to share what German society thinks about these events.

“Berlin’s reserved position is typical for German policy, since it acts carefully when it comes to Russia. Firstly, it has to do with our history, since we have never had stability in relations with Russia. As for Navalny’s sentence, I would like for our government to be more decisive. But they do not want to spoil relations with Russia. Of course, economic interests play a great role here.”

Germany’s federal minister of justice stated that “the posthumous sentence to Magnitsky is another proof of Russia’s sovietization.” In your opinion, why doesn’t Germany have its own “Magnitsky list,” and why does not it support the passing of a similar law in the EU?

“This is accounted for by the fact that our politicians are afraid. The fact that a sentence is passed on a deceased person is the last stage of what can be happening in Russia. This fear is explained by the unwillingness to cause a conflict in relations with Russia.”

Many experts think that an obvious cooling-off is taking place in relations between Germany and Russia. The last example of it is when the federal chancellor’s speech at the joint Russian and German exhibition “Bronze Century. Europe Without Borders” was nearly cancelled. Is this noticeable in press, public sentiments, expert circles, and what you think caused this cooling?

“This is true indeed. The example you mentioned is very remarkable. It was on the diplomatic level – first, Merkel did not want to deliver the speech at all, then she made another decision. For me it is a very vivid sign of relations degrading. As for art, it was always a stumbling block for Russia and Germany. And that does not surprise anyone. But facts speak for themselves, relations are changing indeed. How does this affect the public? I think that people see and understand it. However, it does not affect them greatly at the moment. At least, I do not see it. I do not know how the situation will develop in the future. But the cooling-off is not felt in my circles. People start thinking about it, but if we talk about contacts and cooperation, there are no visible signs of changes.”

Does Germany understand the importance of signing the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine at the summit in Vilnius? Does Germany see Russia’s active attempts to involve Ukraine into the Customs Union and hamper the signing of this agreement?

“It seems to me that ordinary people do not care about this. And when it comes to politicians, journalists, and experts, they do understand. They see it. On one hand, the project is ‘frozen’ because of certain political prisoners. On the other, there are economic forces that are greatly interested in the signing of this agreement. But the criteria are not met yet. If the agreement is not signed, Ukrainians will be ‘punished.’ Of course, Russia does its best to get Ukraine into the Customs Union. I am sure of that. Speaking of which, I cannot quite understand the standpoint of your president and his government. They are carrying out a multi-vector international policy.”

Do you think Merkel’s position is justified, when she does not want to communicate with Ukraine’s leaders? A dialog always yields a better result than a demonstrative ignoring of the leader of a country which wants to integrate into the EU?

“This is a complicated question. If they really want to sign the agreement, the dialog is necessary. I see hypocrisy on Merkel’s side, who seems like she wants to sign the agreement, but she does not want to talk to Ukraine’s leaders. Of course, it would be so much better to talk to the leaders, even if she does not like them. Everything else is pointless. Silence is not productive. I have a feeling that we will have Tymoshenko, that she will be sent to Berlin. And then it will be said that Ukraine has made a right decision, so we will be able to sign the agreement.”

Nowadays, a very selective spectrum of news gets the attention of the German mass media: Tymoshenko’s case, FEMEN, Chornobyl… German readers’ knowledge of events in Ukraine is very low. Do you see any interest on the part of German press in the developments in Ukraine? If no, why is it so?

“The level of what people know about Ukraine has always been very low. If we talk about Eastern Europe, they are always curious about Russia. This changed slightly last year, during the Euro-2012. But unfortunately, the interest is dropping again. We want to write more about Ukraine, to attract our readers’ attention. Perhaps, when they sign the agreement, the interest will grow.”