Rahr: We can expect pragmatism from Laschet in relations with Russia

What is he like, the prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and the new head of the Christian Democratic Union, Armin Laschet? What is behind the smile and outward simplicity of the 59-year-old politician? Is he exactly going to be nominated for chancellor? What does his election mean for Germany itself and for relations between Berlin and Moscow? German political scientist Alexander Rahr told RG about this.

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But I’m sure he won’t. Laschet won a good victory and firmly sat in the chair of the chairman of the largest people’s party in Europe. Now he has every opportunity to strengthen his authority.

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He does not have the narrow-mindedness that is characteristic of many politicians.

We met Laschet when he headed the Ministry of Integration in North Westphalia. I worked in the German Council for Foreign Policy and helped him in issues related to the prospect of adaptation of Russian-speaking Germans. Then it seemed to me that this person is very erudite in foreign policy, sincerely interested in foreign cultures. He wanted a dialogue with Islam, he really wanted to have a dialogue with Russia. Later Laschet headed the foreign policy committee in the European Parliament and promoted the idea of a single space from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Several times he said in public that Germany needed Nord Stream 2. The country cannot simultaneously withdraw from the oil business, nuclear energy and coal, and at the same time refuse Russian gas. In particular, he voiced this idea in the spring of 2019 at the annual meeting of the German-Russian Forum. In contrast to the fully ideologized Röttgen (head of the foreign relations committee)The statement of the Bundestag, which lost the fight for the post of head of the CDU – approx. “RG”), who prioritizes human rights and liberal values, Laschet is a pragmatist. He understands very well that there are many of his potential voters in Germany who do not want to quarrel with Russia.

Russia is used to looking only at Merkel and saying that in Germany everything is decided by Merkel. But now Russia has time to seriously look at the new candidate. In my opinion, he is a rather flexible politician, with whom Moscow and Berlin open up a field for new pragmatic interaction.