Suspicion Remains between Russia and the West

The mutual suspicion of the Cold War era remains between Russia and the West; the U.S. and Great Britain are trying to eliminate it in order to objectively assess the prospect of cooperation on the world stage, including with regard to Syria. This was the announcement of U.S. President Barack Obama today at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the conclusion of talks with Washington.

In the words of the American leader, “the entire world community has an interest in seeing a Syria that is not engaged in sectarian war,” so that the Middle Eastern country does not become “an outpost for extremists.”

“I’m pleased to hear that David [Cameron] had a very constructive conversation with President [Vladimir] Putin [last week in Sochi],” emphasized Obama. He noted that the meeting took place after John Kerry visited Moscow, where he was received by the Russian leader. Obama also added that he had spoken with Putin by telephone several times in recent weeks, which included discussion of the situation in Syria.

According to the head of the White house, Washington’s “basic argument” comes down to the following: “Russia has an interest, as well as an obligation, to try to resolve this issue in a way that can lead to the kind of outcome that we’d all like to see over the long term.” He continued: “I don’t think it’s any secret that there remains lingering suspicions between Russia and other members of the G8 or the West [as a whole].”

From the time the Cold War ended, “[i]t’s been several decades now since Russia transformed itself and the Eastern Bloc transformed itself. But some of those suspicions still exist,” said the head of the U.S. administration.

He assured that part of the goal he set for himself, and that the governments of the U.S. and Great Britain set for themselves, consists of “[trying] to break down some of those suspicions and look objectively at the situation.” “If we can broker a peaceful political transition that leads to [President Bashar] Assad’s departure but a state in Syria that is still intact; that accommodates the interests of all the ethnic groups, all the religious groups inside of Syria; and that ends the bloodshed, stabilizes the situation — that’s not just going to be good for us; that will be good for everybody.” He promised that the U.S. would work hard to achieve this goal. “I’m not promising that it’s going to be successful,” Obama admitted nonetheless.

For his part, Cameron announced that he had “very good talks with President Putin in Sochi on Friday.” Russia, the UK and the U.S. have a common interest in ensuring a “stable, democratic Syria” and bringing to an end the strife, preventing the “growth of violent extremism,” the prime minister stated.