Escobar: Vladimir Putin Takes Spotlight As Eurasia Connector | Zero Hedge
Description: "At his year-end press conference, the Russian president let drop nuggets essential to understanding what lies ahead on the Eurasian geopolitical chessboard..."
Keywords: Zero Hedge,Zerohedge,Finance,Economics,Markets,Politics,Analysis,Archipelago,Brazil,BRICs,China,Donald Trump,India,Iran,Iraq,Japan,None,North Korea,SPY,Turkey,Ukraine,Vladimir Putin
Date: 2013-01-07T00:00:00Z

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# Escobar: Vladimir Putin Takes Spotlight As Eurasia Connector

by Tyler Durden
Dec 20, 2017 3:50 AM
0
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Authored by Pepe Escobar via The Asia Times,

At his trademark annual year-end press conference in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again let drop selected foreign-policy nuggets essential to understanding what lies ahead on the turbulent Eurasian geopolitical chessboard.

By now it’s well known that Putin will run again in the presidential elections scheduled for March 18 (“it will be self-nomination” and “I hope for the overall support from the public”). The Man in Charge might as well continue to be in charge. So it’s always enlightening to bring down the (spin) noise: sit back, relax, and just listen.

On President Trump: “I am on first-name terms with Trump; yes, we would probably use the familiar ‘you.’ I hope he’ll get the opportunity to improve relations with Russia. Look at the markets, how they have grown. This means that investors trust the US economy, this means they trust what he [Donald Trump] is doing in this field.”

On Russiagate: “What’s so strange about this [diplomats speaking with officials in their host country]? Why do you have this ‘Russian spy’ hysteria?” On accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential race, Putin said, “They have been invented by those aiming to delegitimize Trump. These people don’t understand they are undermining their own country – they aren’t showing respect for the Americans [who] voted for Trump.”

On working together with Washington: “Russia and the US can work closely on a range of issues” even given the “well-known limitations” on Trump.

On potential US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: “We hear about the problems with the INF Treaty. Apparently conditions are being created and an information-propaganda campaign is being run for a possible US withdrawal from the treaty. There is nothing good about a US withdrawal, that [would] be highly detrimental to international security. The US has de facto left the INF Treaty already, with the deployment of the Aegis ashore, but Russia is not going to leave the treaty. We will not be dragged into an arms race.”

Putin stressed that Russia’s defense spending was US$46 billion a year, while the US plans to spend $700 billion in 2018.

On the Arctic: “I have visited [the Arctic archipelago] Franz Josef Land; several years ago foreign guides, accompanying foreign tourist groups, would say that these islands ‘recently’ belonged to Russia. They had forgotten that [Franz Josef Land] is a Russian archipelago, but we reminded them, and at the moment everything is fine. We shouldn’t forget it. Developing all those resources in the Arctic should take place in sync with taking care of the environment … we should not impinge on economic activities of ethnic minorities.”

On Ukraine: “The Kiev authorities have no desire to implement the Minsk agreements, no desire to launch a real political process, the completion of which could be the implementation of an agreement on the special status of the Donbass, which is enshrined in the relevant law of Ukraine, adopted by the Rada [Ukraine’s parliament]. Russians and Ukrainians are basically one people” (the audience is audibly pleased).

On Syria: “The US is not contributing enough to the successful resolution of the Syrian crisis. It is important that none of the participants in this [Syrian peace] process have the desire or temptation to use various terrorist or quasi-terrorist radical groups to achieve their immediate political goals.”

On Iraq: “Let’s say, militants are parting for Iraq. We are telling our US colleagues, ‘Militants have gone this or that way.’ There is no reaction, they [militants] are just leaving. Why? Due to thinking that they could be used in the fight with [Syrian President Bashar] Assad. That’s very dangerous.”

On Russia possibly influencing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program: “Your congressmen, senators look so good, they have beautiful suits, shirts, they are seemingly clever people. They put us alongside North Korea and Iran. At the same time they push the [US] president to persuade us to solve the problems of North Korea and Iran together with you.”

On a nuclear DPRK: “On North Korea, we don’t accept it as a nuclear country. As for the US, it has gone beyond previous deals [with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] … and has provoked North Korea to withdraw from agreements. I think we heard the US would stop military drills, but no … they didn’t. It is vital to act very carefully when dealing with the DPRK’s nuclear program.”

On China: “I have full confidence that cooperation with China is beyond any political agenda. We will always remain strategic partners, for a long period of time. We have similar approaches to the development of the international system. We are both interested in joint [economic] projects, including integration of OBOR [One Belt One Road] and the Eurasian Union.”

### Crafting the integration soundtrack

And that takes us to the heart of the geopolitical New Great Game in Eurasia: the Russia-China strategic partnership, once again reaffirmed, and the deepening of integration between the New Silk Roads, formerly OBOR, now Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAUA).

Putin is clearly positive about the benefits for Russia from this economic interpenetration. He noted how “Russia was able to overcome major crises: the collapse of prices for energy carriers and trade sanctions. But the country is moving in the right direction with a greater focus on domestic production. Our internal trade grew by 3%. This has to mean something.”

Stressing how Moscow is totally on board the BRI, Putin implied how this cooperation extrapolates to both the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) spheres as well; and that’s where we should place Moscow’s current efforts to convince New Delhi – also a BRICS and SCO member – that betting on the BRI favors India’s interests.

As recently as early this week in New Delhi, after a trilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been adamant: “I know India has problems, we discussed it today, with the concept of One Belt and One Road, but the specific problem in this regard should not make everything else conditional to resolving political issues.”

New Delhi has to be listening, as it was one of Moscow’s staunchest allies during the Cold War.

In a parallel development, Iran is bound to join the EAEU as early as February, according to Behrouz Hassanolfat, director of the Europe and Americas Department of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, as quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

As Asia Times has reported, India and Iran are getting more in sync economically via a parallel Silk Road to Central Asia centered on the port of Chabahar. Iran is also an essential BRI hub, and now will become an EAEU hub as well.

As much as Beijing in relation to its BRI, Moscow has been on a charm offensive to enlarge the EAEU. Turkey – already on board the BRI – is a possible EAEU candidate for the near future, as well as India and Pakistan.

Even as Putin at his presser once again advanced the cause of these multiple cross-pollinations of Eurasian integration, India sometimes may give the impression of being the odd partner out. New Delhi has just hosted the first ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit, which can be interpreted as an attempt to go against the BRI. Yet the emergence of an anti-China bloc across Southeast Asia seems far-fetched.

In parallel, Moscow certainly does not welcome a somewhat evolving “Indo-Pacific” US/India/Japan alliance. The undercurrent narrative in Putin’s script could not be more crystal clear: The roadmap for Eurasia integration is all about the coming together of the BRI, EAEU, the SCO and BRICS.

- None
- China
- SPY
- Donald Trump
- Iran
- Japan
- North Korea
- Vladimir Putin
- Archipelago
- Iraq
- Turkey
- Brazil
- India
- Ukraine
- BRICs

- Printer-friendly version
- Dec 20, 2017 3:50 AM
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## Comment viewing options

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shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 4:13 AM

Mister Putin is of the rarest species, a leader acting for the account of his country and his people rather than selfishly. There was absolutely no nonsense in his words, and as put forward by George Orwell, telling the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act.

US and Isreal should probably have a closer look at what he'd done and how did he do it. But I bet they won't. You can't fix stoopid.

they'll only try to harm him and fortunately he's quite aware of that feat.

MGTOW_MONERO_XMR shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 4:26 AM

Yeh Putin ain't too bad I suppose

BennyBoy MGTOW_MONERO_XMR Dec 20, 2017 4:35 AM

"the New Silk Roads, formerly OBOR, now Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAUA)."

I hope it brings peace and prosperity to the billions of people who live there.

new game BennyBoy Dec 20, 2017 5:45 AM

i respect the man. simply an honest straight forward kinda guy. tell it like it is. he hedges his words so as not to evoke emotionalism.

but. that said, anyone as wealthy as he is can only be so nice. in fact he is most likely a complete dick when it comes to money matters. how else does it work?

all these peoples of power are compromized by wealth. and since he is one of the wealthist, he is driven by stronG NATIONALIST IDEALS. something the rest of the world could learn from.

but, straying from the "russia one" subject a tad; the desert rats need to be dealt with before their billions turn on western values and impose sharia law accross vast swaths of land.

vlad clearly sees the future...

trump tries but does not succeed as merika is 50 percent libtard brain dead non-nationalistic idiots that make the other 50 percent have to kill or be killed eventually.

that is where this has to go, as history says, kill or be killed over values of how life is lived aka-"religion"...

Singelguy new game Dec 20, 2017 6:57 AM

Please tell us how wealthy Putin is and provide evidence to support your claim. Some reports say he is worth more than $200 billion. If that were true it should pretty easy to find it. You can’t hide that kind of money. Putin may be wealthy in that he has a lot of power, which would require a large amount of money to take away. When you have a lot of power, you don’t need a lot of money.

TRM Singelguy Dec 20, 2017 9:40 AM

If you can't hide that type of money why are the Rothchilds and Rockafellers never on the wealthiest lists? Did they just lose it all?

To give you an idea of how much we are talking about in the early 1900s the original Rockafeller was worth a quarter trillion in today's money.

PS. I agree that nothing has been made public that shows Vlad's true wealth but that doesn't mean much.

Kefeer BennyBoy Dec 20, 2017 7:20 AM

According to Scripture there is a coming world peace as much as mankind can have, but it lasts only a short while before hell is figuratively and literally let loose. I believe it!

It seems that President Trump is being used for the "set-up" to make this happen; we will have to see. Sometimes Revelation chapter 4 and beyond is at the doorstep and other times it seems to be 10-20 years in the future - only God knows. Merry Christmas.

Laowei Gweilo Kefeer Dec 20, 2017 7:44 AM

According to Final Fantasy X, Summoner Trump can banish Liberal Sin and bring forth a new Huge Calm.

But it could be a NWO Yevon set-up used by Yu Yevclinton to continue the Liberal Sin cycle!

Scanderbeg shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 4:46 AM

“Your congressmen, senators look so good, they have beautiful suits, shirts, they are seemingly clever people. They put us alongside North Korea and Iran. At the same time they push the [US] president to persuade us to solve the problems of North Korea and Iran together with you.”

This is the real world consequence of this hysteria which has been a transparent lie since the beginning. The (((Left))) is willing to undermine the security of the country just to undermine Trump and ratchet up tensions. Russia would be very helpful in particular with regard to N. Korea and the truth is they have nothing to do with any problems we have here in U.S or internationally. They are on the right side of the Syria issue and it's none of the US's business what is going on in Ukraine. Putin is also putting the basic interests of his people first which is a lot more than I can say about most of our so called (((Leaders))).

Crazy Or Not shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 5:07 AM

>Mister Putin is of the rarest species..
Indeed a Leader who leads, knows the details, his part in the greater machinery of state, and Statesmanship.
In simple MIC/MIIC terms = Threat.

He knows their names:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=QrDNqBIM4M0

gougeonit shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 5:24 AM

Back in 2016 US thanksgiving, my wife and l were at a friends place. He and his wife both hold PhD's. The topic soon came around to geopolitics, specifically Syria and Obama's line in the sand threat. I laughingly made a comment that Putin had pulled down Obama pants and spanked him. He jumps up from his chair spilling his drink, searing with rage, he blurts out "You don't love America" Which l found even more amusing, since I'm not American to start off with. I responded with "I love the average American, I just don't like your politicians". My wife sitting beside me, nudged me and whispered that he has fire arms! Needless to say I since stop talking politics with him. I was surprised how even the most educated people are so polarized by their beliefs.

shovelhead gougeonit Dec 20, 2017 9:00 AM

Being educated and being smart are not always congruent.

Kagemusho gougeonit Dec 20, 2017 9:11 AM

An evident Lib-ruhl? With firearms? I wonder if his fellow Libs know he's violating his faith's cardinal tenets: "Thou shalt be dependant upon The Hallowed State to defend thee at all times, and shall not bear the means to do so thyself."

I doubt he's concerned so much about his alt-right neighbors as he is about the lumpenproletariat welfare recipients (who Libs generally live far away from) whose causes he champions.

machiavellian-trader shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 6:38 AM

He brought Russia back from darkness and out of the joo oligarch hands.

But dont think he isnt pocketing billions on the side, just as the others were.

Difference is that he is improving the country at the same time.

If only all countries could have a true leader like this.

Great man, great leader, greater mind !

Kefeer shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 6:35 AM

He is a statesman, a lost breed & art, but he also is always out for his best interest...which may not be the Russian peoples best interest. Satan's family spreads across the globe far and wide. There are only two human families and all belong to one or the other.

BobEore Dec 20, 2017 4:07 AM

With a one/two punch...

to the guts of truth in media... our raging bulls of b.s. PCR... and Esco-bar... swing high n low, in search of a sweet spot where their duds of intercontinental miss-led-iles can land without being seen

for what they are! No fancy n fantastic collection of acronyms can replace the primacy of sober assessments of the geopolitical landscape. Indeed - these groupings of unlikely 'allies' are bound to wash up on the rocks of reality soon time soon... as flotsam and jetsam left from the debris of a fleet of sinking

ships all running for cover under the Jolly Dodger flag of fake news journalism.

The roadmap for Eurasia integration is all about the coming together of the BRI, EAEU, the SCO and BRICS.

The roadmap for Eurasia is a Michelins Guide routemap which starts - and ends - on the freeway leading outta tel aviv... where

in the heart of the spiders web... plans are hatched for "Eurasian" energy cartels and dramatic rebalancings of the landscape such as to reflect the REALITY that Mordor has pretty much succeeded in gettin all of em

in the bag. Russo-Talmudic mafiyas will soon be proud n ready to re-raise that nasty hammer n sickle emblem of all that is sick... filthy.. and dangerous... about flirting with sionist psyops ... by sack sack mericanos entranced with a vision of their own exceptionally messy

suicide.

shitshitshit BobEore Dec 20, 2017 4:12 AM

You sure you don't need counseling my friend?

Get yourself together and take the rest of the day off.

BobEore shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 4:53 AM

"Counseling" huh?

he heh he...

at the risk of SHOCKING THE SHITE OUTTA the legions of mind-wiped zheeple who blindly follow the 'counsel' of their various 'lead from behind' talmudic psyop "K"ouncelers... "f(r)iend"...

I keep my own counsel... and heartily advise anybody with the remotest hopes of stayin 'at large n liberty'... to do the same.

Same ol same ol huh? Herd elements AGOG... at the \insouciance/ of an 'anti-social element' refuses to read from the script - let alone enter the crypt where all the zheeple zombies err... half live, in the inimitable fashion o the livin dead...

Hey bedhead! My day is my affair... and I'll be righttttttttttt here.... as your livin nightmare... till this film fast forwards to the chase scene... and Bobee runs the vodoo down... town all over agin! Now back to yur office in the Tavistock building.. and playin with your chicken blood an string doll hairpin set - Klounseler!

shitshitshit BobEore Dec 20, 2017 5:34 AM

Thanks you for being my nightmare. I thought I would be horrified instead of this dyslexic Disney ersatz.

A. Boaty BobEore Dec 20, 2017 7:34 AM

When you stir up a hornets nest tangled in a spider's web, you end up with ants in your pants.

BritBob Dec 20, 2017 5:02 AM

Putin and his cohorts can't be trusted to be honest brokers.

Russia tells Britain give back the Falklands before telling US what to do.

RUSSIA has told Britain it should "clean its conscience" and give back the Falkland Islands before it criticises them over their involvement in Ukraine. Moscow's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin made the shocking remarks when responding to his British counterpart Matthew Rycroft at a UN security council meeting in New York. (Daily Express 4 Feb 2017)

They forget that a lot of territory was 'taken' in the 19th century (much of a norm). That doesn't excuse their actions in the 21st century.

Falkland Islands – The Usurpation (1 pg): https://www.academia.edu/34838377/Falkland_Islands_The_Usurpation

shitshitshit BritBob Dec 20, 2017 5:35 AM

Ah Britboobs what would be a day without your stupid comments?

We'll, a day I guess.

Go fuck yourself and give back what belongs to France and Argentina.

A. Boaty shitshitshit Dec 20, 2017 7:35 AM

Yes, but actually, Gibraltar belongs to Spain.

Fred123 Dec 20, 2017 5:15 AM

Yeah, so China can ship shit to the worlds worst shitholes. How appropriate. Peace to the worlds worst shitholes? Really? Prosperity to the worlds worst shitholes? Really? Why do you think they are shitholes to begin with? I'm happy to report that the US is looking for resources off of planet earth so we don't have to deal with niggers and brownies. Heck, we might as well colonize Mars and make it habitable because planet Earth is being over run by low IQ people.

gougeonit Fred123 Dec 20, 2017 5:40 AM

"Earth is being over run by low IQ people."

Sorry my friend it's mostly just in US, ever been to a Walmart?

Soon your grandkids and great grandkids will be making those plastic pieces of shit thanks to your wonderful leaders./s

Omega_Man Fred123 Dec 20, 2017 6:49 AM

if the dumb westerners are willing to buy it with their fake money and be lazy not to create these items themselves, where else are they going to get it?

HoPewGassed Fred123 Dec 20, 2017 7:36 AM

"colonize Mars"

You first.

TRM HoPewGassed Dec 20, 2017 8:49 AM

I am Marvin the Martian and I don't want that douchebag near my planet. Keep your trash on your own world. The rest of you are welcome to come visit :)

Cast Iron Skillet Fred123 Dec 20, 2017 8:54 AM

please be among the first to go.

AntiMatter Dec 20, 2017 7:22 AM

Putin is the man.

Moribundus Dec 20, 2017 8:53 AM

Question of time = investment must be protected = Euasian military block. Good bye Grand Chessboard

shovelhead Dec 20, 2017 9:03 AM

Hmmm.

Putin favors trade over international terrorism...

Trump should talk with this guy. He'd get better advice there than from his own cabinet.

Rolln Dec 20, 2017 9:21 AM

Fuck this guy, what a piece of shit. All this nonsense gonna backfire on him massively soon as Trump is gone... hahahaha

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