John McCain: “US should resist Russian neo-imperialism”
- 12.06.2009, 16:05
Such a statement has been made by the US presidential candidate and Senator at the conference of the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC).
The coalition unites 18 organisations, which represent interests of corresponding diasporas of the US, 20 mln US citizens whose roots are in the countries of the region: Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Poland, the Czech Republic and so on.
As is noted on the website of this influential political organisation, the Coalition expresses concern over neo-imperial ambitions of Moscow which threatens the former countries of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc and humiliates them, as they do not want to stay under the influence of Russia, Radio Svaboda informs.
John McCain said that he had visited all the states of the Central and East European region, except Belarus, as Minsk refused him a visa. “I hope to correct that omission this year,” he added.
As stated by the American politician, he has deep affection to these emerging European countries, so he cannot stay indifferent to the recent attempts of Russia to reinstate its sphere of influence in neighboring countries.
According to McCain, in order to exert pressure on its closets neighbours, Moscow uses energy weapons, has carried out a massive cyber-attack in Estonia, continues to occupy part of Georgia, and maintains a military grouping in Transdniestria.
“The Cold War is over, the Soviet empire is gone, and neither one is missed. The brave young democracies that make up this region have joined the free world, and they are not going back,” that is why “the states of the region are able to adopt decisions independently,” McCain noted. He has also emphasized that the Eastern European countries won’t become a pawn in the relations of the US and Russia ever.
As McCain is convinced, Washington understands the necessity of ‘re-setting’ relations with Moscow. However, the necessity of the new format of the relations cannot smokescreen how the Kremlin is treating its neighbours. “It does mean, however, that we must reject the idea that the independent nations near Russia’s borders constitute any form of bargaining chip, to be traded away in pursuit of better ties with Moscow.” That is why the US President Barack Obama should say all this at the Russian-American summit which is to take place in Moscow in July this year.
Addressing participants of the conference of the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), McCain underlined: “An attempt to improve relations with other countries, particularly those with regimes that oppress their people or seek to restrict the freedom of others, cannot exclude strong American advocacy for the rights of everyone, everywhere, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
It is, after all, the responsibility of the leading nations of the world to ensure that history continues to be a record of humanity’s progress toward respecting the values and security of free people,” John McCain said.