26 April - 2 May 2001
Issue No.531
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 April - 2 May 2001 Issue No.531 |
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From Russia with friendship
Abdel-Malek Khalil interviewed the head of the Assembly of Russia's Peoples, Dr Ramazan Abdulatipov and talked to Reda Shehata, Egypt's ambassador to Russia about bilateral trade relations
As head of Russia's Friends of Egypt Society, how do you see the upgrading of bilateral relations between Egypt and Russia in light of the upcoming visit of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Moscow?
Russia is a world power, while Egypt is one of the acknowledged leaders of not only the Arab region, but also of the developing countries. Bilateral relations are good, but could be better. Relations are legally governed by the Russian-Egyptian inter-governmental commission. Unfortunately, the existing resources are far from being fully utilised. It would be enough to remember that the volume of trade turnover last year was a paltry $500 million. We could do a lot better. Still, I take this opportunity to stress the great personal contribution to boosting Russian-Egyptian ties made by President Hosni Mubarak.
The former Soviet Union used to pursue a friendly policy towards the Arab world. Today, unfortunately, political ties between Russia and Arab countries have lost their warmth. What are the chances of revamping the old ties?
The friendly policy of our country towards the Arab world indeed has rich historical traditions. Today the once strong Russian-Arab ties have been weakened. But so has our relations with our neighbours in Eastern Europe, Asia and a number of other states, let alone the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries. I consider it a result of the post-communist Russian crisis. Slowly, painfully, we are overcoming the crisis. The process of rethinking state interests of Russia is taking place. A proof of that is the foreign policy interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He seriously wants to reactivate Russian-Arab relations. A wonderful example of possibilities in Russian-Arab and Russian-Egyptian links is that Russia is building TU-204 passenger planes, its newest, for Egypt. This is a good example of the new form of economic cooperation between Egypt and Russia today. We move away from government-to-government cooperation and are focusing on private business partnerships.
What mechanisms are necessary to restart cultural dialogue between Russia and Egypt?
Such mechanisms exist. In Cairo and Alexandria Russian cultural and scientific centres are functioning. Egypt is one of the few countries where two such centres operate. We are looking into the possibility of opening in Moscow an Egyptian cultural centre and we recently proposed to heads of Arab diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow the creation in Russia of an Arab cultural centre, which could work under the patronage of the Arab League and Arab ambassadors in Moscow. I am convinced that cultural contacts are just as important as trade.
I would also like to point out the necessity of establishing direct contacts, including cultural ones, between regions of Russia and Egypt. We reckon on launching this work with the help of the Russian-Arab inter-parliamentary council.
What are the main difficulties facing Russia today now and how can they best be resolved?
In modern Russia the concept of state national politics approved by the Russian President in 1996 is the main framework. The concept was the result of massive joint work by governmental structures and institutions of civil society. I will not go into details of purposes, tasks and mechanisms, but I would simply point out several problems and difficulties in the sphere of international relations and ways of resolving them. One of the most acute problems is ethnic, national and religious chauvinism. We suffer from various
phobias -- anti-Semitism, Russophobia, Islamophobia, Caucasophobia, racism, nationalism, fascism. These phobias are widely publicised by the media. In such conditions a purposeful state policy is needed, based on educating the society in the spirit of mutual tolerance and peace. Appropriate propaganda and counter-phobia actions are necessary both on the part of state and civil society institutions.
What are the priorities and main fields of work of the Assembly of Russia's Peoples that you head?
The Assembly of Russia's Peoples is a non-governmental social organisation. The assembly was founded in July 1998 in accordance with the concept of state national policy stated above. It has branches in more than 70 regions of the Russian Federation. The main activities of the assembly are initiatives in the field of harmonisation of international relations, teaching tolerance, carrying out peacemaking actions, contributing to civil society formation, securing human and national rights and preservation of national peculiarities of Russia's different ethnic groups and peoples.
The Northern Caucasus is witnessing tension these days. What are the chances of resolving the Chechnya crisis?
Yes, indeed, the region of Northern Caucasus today is one of the most problematic zones in Russia. Anti-Russian groups and terrorists in Chechnya make the situation unbearable. Still, positive steps towards stabilisation of the situation in the whole region have emerged. It is necessary to take into consideration that it is not possible to solve the region's many problems, including the Chechen crisis, without uniting the efforts of the four sovereign Caucasian states -- Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. The most important factor is enforcing law and order and ensuring security in Chechnya. As you know, the military part of the operation is practically over. There are difficulties, but they are surmountable. The most important thing is that the Chechen people do not wish to live in a war situation.
What role can Russia play in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is unique. For more than half a century the sides cannot find mutually acceptable decisions. The international community and the leading world powers have tried and are trying to contribute to easing tensions, but all this has not worked. I believe that one of the main directions of efforts to solve the conflict could be an attempt to search for new forms of international mediation.
Abdulatipov was born in the Caucasian autonomous republic region of Dagestan, was elected in 1990 as a People's deputy of the former Soviet Union, while in 1991 he was elected chairman of the Council of Nationalities at the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation.
The sky's the limit
In addition to production commodities like trucks and tractors, Egypt imports capital and intermediary goods from Russia, which Egyptian industry uses to produce finished export goods. For example, Egypt imports wood, coal, chemicals, and other raw materials which are essential to the steel and iron industry. The Egyptian manufacturing sector depends a great deal on imports from Russia.
On the other hand, Egypt suffers from a balance of payment deficit in its trade with Russia. But this is not the most important aspect of our trade relationship. Again, the Egyptian export market is partially dependent on essential imports from Russia. Besides, Egyptians should be more patient and start exploiting the potential of the vast Russian market, which is not restricted to Moscow. This market could easily absorb a much larger share of Egyptian exports, especially since there is a demand for Egyptian products. Examples that immediately come to mind are food stuffs, building materials and clothing.
Beyond the possibility of exploiting the Russian market's potential, there is a great deal to boast about in terms of actual achievements. One should not underestimate the success story of the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry, which has secured an important export niche for itself in the Russian market. New lucrative trade and investment possibilities are also appearing in the information technology market, which is another option for expanding the Egyptian share of the market. Egyptian business people need to have a strong presence in the region to research and explore all available options in this vibrant and thriving country.
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