Today is a good day for me, following “FR”‘s translation of the Open Letter to Putin from German into English, I have just received the translation from Russian into English of what I consider a truly historical statement made by Alexei Pushkov, head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament to the press corps (which, of course, never bothered translating a word of it) following the PACE’s disgusting vote on Russia. I want to express my deepest gratitude to “DV” for taking the time to translate this historical statement especially for this blog.
Here is the transcript in English:
Press-Conference of A. Pushkov
PUSHKOV: We think that those people who took part in making those decisions did not have the moral right to make them. The Georgian delegation should rather explain how Georgia killed 147 people in Tskhinval in August 2008 by the orders of Saakashvilli — which you all saw on your television screens. Tskhinval was bombed by “reactive” (rocket?) systems. 147 people died during this operation. What did we hear today from the Georgian delegates? That this did not happen. They bear responsibility for those killings.
Let us call things by their names. They will judge us for Crimea joining Russia which happened completely without the bloodshed and in accordance with the opinions and wishes of the people of Crimea. Georgia wanted to return to itself those territories on which she practiced genocide in 1991-1992 in an aggressive military way. There were people killed and this was acknowledged in OSCE(?) report which was prepared by Mr. ?. And everyone knows this.
And so…
… [ INTERRUPTION IN LIVE STREAM ] …
…with the result that their representatives — including those who advanced amendments about our exclusion — with the result of aggression against Iraq in 2003. Somehow I did not notice that those 20 governments who supported that aggression in one or another way, and which was declared illegal world-wide — this is known — were sanctioned here. Somehow we did not see this. The parliamentary assembly on this crime closes its eyes, even though in Iraq, as a result of that occupation and aggression, died some several thousand people — this is known. But no sanctions are implemented against those comrades.
I think that one should think about those governments who regularly in the past 20 years violated international law — bombing Belgrade, bombing Libya, occupying Iraq — do not have any moral right to make any decisions about the Russian delegation. And we completely disagree with this.
We also want to tell you that I think this very tense crisis between Russian and the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) is tied to several things. Firstly, we see here the triumph of double standards. What we heard yesterday from the Ukrainian delegation is just comical — it causes uproarious(?) laughter. Ukraine has no problems except danger from Russia. Go to Ukraine. See how that country lives. See what is happening in the east, west, and south — look at Kiev and what the revolutionaries have turned it into. Talk to the families of those who were killed — not only on Maidan but those of the Party of Regions. How right-wing extremists came to their headquarters and killed two people just like that. One an engineer and one a soldier — who had no affiliation with the Party. Talk to them. Talk to the representative of the Southern Ukraine’s Communists, who was subjected to torture. They placed needles under his fingernails and beat him. This is all known. Talk to Simonyanka(?) who yesterday, or the day before yesterday, was beaten at the podium of the Rada by the representatives of Svoboda.
And what do we see here? We see an amendment to condemn Svoboda and “Right Sector” for racism, for ultra-nationalist views, for anti-Semitism, which the European Parliament called for in December 2012 — this did not originate from us. We see that this amendment does not get the support of even a third of the delegates. 51 or 52 people voted for this amendment. What can we discuss here? Can we discuss any unified standards of European Assembly? We are talking about the full and hideous triumph of double standards.
We also see that the supremacy of law does not concern this Assembly. The Ukrainian government was overthrown. This is very obvious. This is being discussed by the foremost lawyers not only in Russia, but also in Europe. We know very well that the Constitution was violated. How come when we discuss Crimea, our Ukrainian colleagues refer to the Constitution? How come when we try to discuss how they overthrew the President, how they took un-Constitutional decisions, there is no discussion? The Constitution holds sway in one case, but not the other. So what are we discussing here? And if someone here took it upon themselves, beside the Euro Left faction in the Parliamentary Assembly — the Euro Left faction was the only one who raised the question about the legality of what happened February 22nd in the Ukraine. At the very least, a decision should have been taken to look into this matter and then conduct discussions to understand whether those actions were or were not Constitutional. No! We are told ahead of time everything was Constitutional. Who decided this?
The Ukrainian Constitution describes how the President may be removed from power. A special commission is set up to investigate the reasons for impeachment. Then, a hearing in Constitutional Court about this question. And following, a vote for impeachment in the Rada. This is the Constitutional procedure for impeaching a President in the Ukraine. If everything happened in this manner, I can assure you, Russia would not have protested at all. Instead of this, what happened? The Constitutional Court was disbanded. Five people were ejected from the Constitutional Court including the head judge — notwithstanding their immunity. And people are trying to convince us this new power is legal and lawful?
The most unpleasant thing in this story is that the Parliamentary Assembly has betrayed its own principles. The majority in PACE have betrayed the principles of right, the supremacy of human rights, and the supremacy of law. The majority in PACE have taken care of the political interests’ of those governments who want the geopolitical assimilation of the Ukraine. I am very sad to say this because PACE was supposed to be an organization above politics. It was supposed to be an organization creating precise standards in that or another sphere(?) Russia is to blame…
UNKNOWN MAN: Sorry to stop you Mister. This is a press-conference not a political statement.
PUSHKOV: Who is saying this?
UKNOWN MAN: Me over here.
PUSHKOV: Where?
UNKOWN MAN: Here.
PUSHKOV: If you are not happy with my statement, [ unintelligible ]…
UNKOWN MAN: It has nothing to do with your st…
PUSHKOV: If you are not happy with my statement, please leave.
PUSHKOV: The Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) …
…[ PUSHKOV WAVES HAND ]…
PUSHKOV: Don’t put obstacles to what you say.
UNKOWN MAN: [ unintelligible ]
PUSHKOV: And so, the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) betrayed those principles it was supposed to defend. I should say, not all members did that. Those representatives who took a nuanced, well-thought out position; those who voted against the decision to…Russia…
…[ DISTURBANCE IN THE AUDIENCE ]…
GERMAN JOURNALIST: Could you speak in English? Could you speak in English, please? We would like to understand what you are saying. Please.
…[ PUSHKOV WAVES HAND; MORE DISTURBANCE IN THE AUDIENCE ]…
GERMAN JOURNALIST: Please…can you speak in English?
PUSHKOV: Those people who voted for well though-out decision to leave an opportunity for Russia to work in the European Assembly — they, I think, deserve all possible support. Those who voted to have the Russian delegation stripped of most of its powers made a conscious decision. The continued presence of the Russian delegation in PACE no longer makes sense, and I want this to be understood. If the majority in PACE believe they hold the keys to history in their hands, they are mistaken. Decisions are not only made here. We also are making a decision about whether we should remain in this assembly. Our presence here is of our own free will — our presence in the European Assembly is of our own free will — but we may change our minds. Thank you.
GERMAN JOURNALIST: Could you speak in English? Please? We would like to understand you. My name is Petra Klingbar(?) from the German Press Agency.
…[ PUSHKOV AND FELLOW DELEGATES CONFER ]…
GERMAN JOURNALIST: Could you speak in English, please? So we could understand you. Thank you.
PACE RUSSIAN DELEGATE: I would like to say a few words. We here…
GEORGIAN JOURNALIST: Can I ask a question? Please, can I ask a question? This is Georgian Television.
PACE RUSSIAN DELEGATE: Later, later. Perhaps there will be a question time.
We here represent the large country of Russia. Everything we have heard here for the past two days, is upsetting for all of our country. That is first. Second, I would like to say that not one amendment we have tried to put forward was accepted. I even think that if I put forward an amendment that the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, it would also not be accepted. The responsibility of the work of my colleagues…
GEORGIAN JOURNALIST: Don’t you think that perhaps Russia is mistaken and that it deserves these sanctions?
PACE RUSSIAN DELEGATE: Please let me finish. It seems to me, I am here…
GEORGIAN JOURNALIST: What, do you think the whole world is mistaken?
ANOTHER PACE RUSSIAN DELEGATE: Mr. Potyomka(?) is older than you, please let him finish.
GEORGIAN JOURNALIST: If I could ask a question? This is a press-conference.
PUSHKOV: Excuse me. If there will be further disturbances from the audience, we will finish this press-conference and leave. You can stay behind with your opinions and questions.
GERMAN JOURNALIST: There is no translation. We would like to understand what you are saying.
…[ PUSHKOV SHRUGS ]…
GERMAN JOURNALIST: But you speak very good English.
——-
What is so important in the word of Pushkov?
First, this is the first time that a high ranking Russian diplomat who clearly “had it” decides to “hold up a mirror” so to speak to the EU officials and show them how ugly their faces are. Gone is the pretense of civility and friendship – Pushkov is calling the PACE delegates unprincipled hypocrites and liars whose lack of basic decency is total.
Second, Pushkov also tells the western corporate press to go to hell, well, not quite in these terms, but that is the substance of his reply when the press corps first tries to shut him up and then leaves the room.
In other words what Pushkov does is show his absolute contempt for the *cheap prostitutes* (there is no other way to put it) who would execute any order of their bosses, repeat any lie, deny any fact, no matter how obvious.
Of course, Pushkov does not use Mrs Nuland’s colorful expression, but the message is the same. So now both the USA and Russia have expressed their total contempt for the EU. God knows the latter really had it coming.
In conclusion I will say that Alexei Pushkov is really a “big shot” in Russia and not just he hold the powerful position of head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament but also because he has his own weekly analytical program on the Russian TV called “post-scriptum” which is watched by a lot of people. He is a very smart man, impeccably educated, well-read and well-traveled. And he is a real diplomat, a man of a level of professionalism and expertise as Sergei Lavrov. All this is to say that his word carries a lot of weight, especially in the circles of power around the Kremlin.
Speaking of Lavrov, he also spoke for a full hour on Russian TV in the show “Sunday evening with Vladimir Soloviev” (a very well-known journalist) and his message was the same one: the EU has gone mad, and if they are dead set on a confrontation with us, we are quite ready.
As for Putin, he has had a public meeting with representatives of his Russian Popular Front movement and he is preparing for a lengthy TV “townhall meeting” on TV. All the signs are that his message will be the same one.
On March 1 of this year I warned that Russia was ready for war. It now appears that this war will not be hot (thank God for that!), but “cold” and primarily economic. I think that the PACE vote and the Russian reaction to it mark the beginning of active hostilities.
It shall be interesting to see what the EU muster in terms of “firepower” other than hot air and how much staying power all these EU prostitutes really have.
The Saker
Thanks for the translation, I’ve been iching to know what he said after what others were saying. :)
“I think that the PACE vote and the Russian reaction to it mark the beginning of active hostilities.”
Well, zionazi-nazistan keeps ramping up the assault, the Russians were bound to to flip off the bum bandits sooner or later. On the positive side, the Russians can now dump all those hold over “associations” with the zionazis of USA/EU dating from the Yeltsin colonial period.
вот так
Off topic, but I have seen your articles regularly appearing in Asia Times Online. You are in the big leagues when your work is displayed on the same page as Spengler, and Pepe Escobar. Congratulations
Ezestreets
Maybe now that the translation is done, the subtitles here can be finished (it is more powerful to hear the inflections and tone of voice):
http://amara.org/en/videos/H7OPMF8rZJQV/info/press-konferentsiia-apushkova/
Anyone can contribute, you don’t need to register.
Re: optimism
We might have been counting our chickens mid-hatch
* Slavyansk is being given the “anti-terrorism” cure right now
* Ukraine’s Naftogaz announced suspension of payments over price
* The EU’s slap in the PACE at hand
These are all moves to the detriment of the EU (needs gas), Russia (needs to sell gas), the Ukraine (needs gas and money, not to mention a government representing most of their people).
The only one “benefitting” from all this is the US, and they sure are encouraging the wedge drivers, and smiling, somewhere in the background.
That is not to say that Europe can do without Russia short and medium – they can’t. And therefore they will wake up at some point. There’s no way around it. It’s only the question when. And maybe the damage is already done by then, and Russia makes do with China. (I wonder if that’s so much better for the US though)
The EU has to wake up to the fact that the biggest principal wedge driver (does this word even exist? I think I just made it up) in their midst is, always was, and geographically and historically is destined to be: the UK. So the EU has to say “Au revoir” to them, if they don’t do us the favour. Not that European cuisine and culture is going to suffer too heavy losses from this – and we’ll continue to give visas to Gilad Atzmon of course.
No matter how this evolves, once the dust settles over this whole affair (not just Ukraine, also austerity, end of the petrodollar, …), it seems to me the UK will, because it won’t really join Europe in the foreseeable future, be a loser bigger than the US. Unless the human race as a whole is gonna be the loser of course.
Honk
The “West” wants a hot war. That is the greatest challenge to Putin’s diplomacy.
And that, and that is the very reason Russia *has* massed troops on the Ukrainian border: to dissuade the crazies in the “West” from attempting a military solution.
Yes, NATO shows satellite photos of massed Russian troops. Photos that mean far more to them than to the people of the West.
Oh, and were troops “massed” prior to the arrival of the polite green men? Apparently not.
Massed troops are a message, not a military tactic.
Pushkov’s presence at that bogus press conference sheds light indeed on the whole foul-smelling Western cesspit. Drooling imbeciles and scum making big money out of indulging in slander, warmongering, and vileness. Well and good! This has the immense, unintended benefit of purging Russia of “her enemies within” as it’s plain to see the Navalnys, Pussy Riots et consortes clearly have the admirers and beneficiaries they deserve.
However, don’t ever expect Westerners in general to be capable of drawing conclusions such as those above. Western imbecility and depravity stem from imperialist parasitism. The behaviour of people that have become spoiled rotten at the expense of the vast global majority highly resembles the reckless confidence of people attending a booze bacchanal. As long as there is poison in abundance, the sky is the limit. This mentality is precisely what unites the neocon elites, their Corporate Presstitutes, and the two-bit imbeciles posting Russophobic blog barfs.
I found the name of the German journalist in the PACE press conference with Alexei Pushkov asking “Could you speak in English, please? We would like to understand what you are saying. Please”. Her name is Petra Klingbeil. I tweeted her and sent her the link to your article. https://twitter.com/renatekling
I’ve put the transcript translation up on Wikispooks here as well, together with further reported remarks from Pushkov and a brief comment. I’ve also tweeked the translation slightly, but only to improve grammar and thus readability to English-speaking readers.
Any Russian speakers are welcome to contribute further.
I will also post the German letter translation asap.
I too congratulate you on your published work in Asia Times, and opening my eyes to the unparalleled statesmanship of the Russians. I wonder as to the ineptitude of the Europeans in the face of this unconstitutional return of fascism to Europe. You would have thought they would have much to say, alas they appear soulless and unreceptive to the Rule of Law, and thus their grounding as a civilised entity surely shows signs of decay. I fear that international finance may suck not only the funds from the public, but also their very lives. An enemy of humanity no less!
Dear The Saker,
I read the other day that Russia contributes the 4th largest contribution to PACE of some $23 million.
I personally would ask for a refund!
PACE should be disbanded – utter jokers and imbeciles.
Rgds,
Veritas
I could only say that my government dont represent our interests but the zio-US interests.
USA is not a european country, but Russia is.
BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) — As fears for violent clashes have begun simmering in Ukraine, the United States decided Saturday to send its vice president to the country of unique geopolitical significance.
The April 22 trip will make Joe Biden the most high-profile U.S. official to visit the turmoil-torn country since the crisis broke out, and see him underscore Washington’s support “for a united, democratic Ukraine.”
Ironically, with Crimea having broken away, Ukraine is no longer united. And with pro-Moscow sentiment and cries for independence and integration with Russia bubbling up in its east, the country is on the brink of further chaos.
Adding to the irony is the fact that Western countries, not least the United States, played no small part in plunging Ukraine into the current predicament.
The West planted the seeds of confrontation by fomenting discontent and inciting unrest. They turned sparks of protest into a vicious fire and stoked the flames while Ukraine was burning.
It has turned out that the United States, with all its self-righteousness and sense of moral superiority, is only good at starting and stoking fires, instead of quenching one.
From a geopolitical perspective, the region’s balance of power was disrupted after Western countries made Russia feel insecure by pushing their frontier further closer to Moscow.
As it is widely feared, the still escalating situation could snowball into the worst standoff between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War, a scenario that would not only inflict more pain on Ukraine but undermine regional and global peace.
Immediate de-escalation is needed to prevent the flames of the Ukraine crisis from devouring the whole region and burning down the entire edifice of the current world order.
The only viable exit is a political solution. All parties involved should avoid any action that might deteriorate the situation, and start laying the foundation for dialogue.
Outside powers should be firefighters instead of flame-stokers. They need to play a constructive role by persuading Ukrainians of all sides to calm down and jointly seek a way out.
The prospect is not all dark. EU, Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. diplomats are planning to meet for direct talks on the Ukraine crisis in Geneva in the coming days.
The four-party meeting, the first of its kind during the months-old crisis, offers an opportunity. It is imperative that the participants make good use of it and turn the sparks of hope into a bright beacon for dialogue and peace.
http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_04_13/US-client-states-lock-step-on-fascist-coup-in-Ukraine-Putin-forced-to-seek-resolution-4630/
PACE = Putains Abonimables des Corporations Européennes
NATO = Nazi American Terror Organization
Last news on Slavyansk:
At the moment the situation is stress- stable . The city is completely controlled by the Army of the Southeast , self-defense units and civilians city (more than 1,000 women ), which solve the problem of providing a human shield.
Entrances to the city closed, the streets continue to build barricades and debris . The same thing happens on the bridges in the city.
To help Slavyansk buses left from Donetsk, Kramatorsk , as well as large groups of armed men from the SBU Lugansk .
About 7 BTRs showed in the morning at the entrance to the village Semenivka next to Slavyansk, they split – 3 APCs remained in the village , and 4 and 1 military “Ural” take a detour to search for other entrance to the city. Column to the city was accompanied by police cars, who later turned around and left. Currently 3 APCs have blocked in Semyonovka unknown militants ask unblock them so that they could withdraw from the city and the promise that no more will shoot residents( people on the APCs in the morning was already wounded one fisherman who was mistaken for self-defense of Slayansk)
2 Mi-24 and 1 Mi-8 – solve problems of cover for storming from the air, as well as air recon.
2 checkpoints was really shooting – 3 people injured on our side , from the fascists approximately 1-3 injured – during a shootout at a roadblock in Cherepkovke ( tried to go into the city then, whether “Alpha” , or ” Jaguar ” ) – both self-defense and SBU specnaz Alfa were shooting to kill.
Small groups of “right sector ” scattered in the forests around the city , some people in black uniforms on and do not speak Russian .
In fact , the junta is trying to deploy special forces and the fascist troops to take the city , but without direct combat and great sacrifices can not do this , then they poked it at one point or the other , as it should be to develop operations “on wheels” . In the city center until everything is in order .
Pushkov gave the ‘democratic parliamentary’ hypocrites a good serve, and they deserve it. The villains posing as saints, the so-called ‘constitutional democracies’ micturating on democracy and constitutions whenever it suits their power interests, then, mind you, demanding praise for their ‘moral values’. Which is why they require a MSM of moral imbeciles and groveling servants to power, and they have it, no doubt about that. The WSWS has been good on the insane hissing and spitting bellicosity of the German rags, and the BBC last night introduced Carl Bildt, the infamous US ‘asset’ (ass-something alright), as a supposedly disinterested observer. Bildt and that other neo-fascist Sikorski were two of the leading plotters in the Maidan disturbances, but the BBC relies on its audience being brainwashed and ignorant. However, as we can see, finally, after generations of unquestioning loyalty to the Empire, the masses are waking up to the unceasing lies and unending murder and aggression being done, ostensibly, in their name, and that, I believe, partly explains the insane recklessness of this aggression.
Здравствуйте, вы читали? http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/04/224759.htm
Даже страшно становится, такая неадекватность реалиям…
Ол Кей said…13 April, 2014 19:53
“Здравствуйте, вы читали? http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/04/224759.htm
“Даже страшно становится, такая неадекватность реалиям…”
These are “people” who get off on snuff films, who write that говно.
вот так