|
Russia dissatisfied over Sweden’s stance
Russia is irritated over the Swedish government’s stance on the Georgian crisis. Michail Skupov, acting head of mission at the Russian embassy in Stockholm, says to Dagens Nyheter (DN) that Sweden could have been expected to take a more objective and “constructive” stance.
Mr Skupov points out that Russia has not annexed a country. “All we have done is to recognise two republics, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, whose peoples have declared themselves independent. We have merely acknowledged their independence. We have a right to do that,” he says.
Sweden is one of the European countries that has most forcefully criticised Russian actions in Georgia and Mr Skupov considers that the Swedish government has failed to see the motives and actions of both parties. In particular, he objects to Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt’s comments in which he compared Russia’s actions in Georgia to Nazi Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland. “It is not objective and unfortunate to make such a comparison,” he says.
Mr Skupov does not believe, however, that the Georgia crisis will have any serious impact on Swedish-Russian bilateral relations.
The article in Dagens Nyheter (August 28, 2008) |
