Dmitry Medvedev Takes Part in Prime Ministers' Debate at MSC

Russian Prime Minister has shared Russia's vision on global security.

The developments since 2007 have turned out to be even more dramatic than anticipated, Dmitry Medvedev said, lamenting the fact that that the dialogue between Russia and the West has been cut short.

The Russian politician has acknowledged that there are certain problems and failures in the modern European security system, however the countries should not bring the confrontation up to the threats of the “Third World Shake-up” to understand that the cooperation between all parties is much more preferable than any skirmish.

Dmitry Medvedev recalled that the present-day architecture of European security has been built on the ruins of the Second World War and allowed a peaceful coexistence without any global conflicts for as long as 70 years, due to its resting on principles which are clear to everyone; first of all, the unconditional value of a human life, he stressed.

NATO policies towards Russia remain unfriendly and opaque, he stressed. However there are real challenges and threats in "our small world" which we should focus on, the Prime Minister said, adding that Russia-NATO relations have reached the level of a new cold war.

"The situation in the world is dramatic, Europe does not stand united, EU-Russia relations have deteriorated, "migration collapse" is taking place," the Russian politician acknowledged.

The Russian Prime Minister also called for dialogue over Euro-Atlantic security.

Dmitry Medvedev also acknowledged that the international mutual arms control system, which long served as a foundation for building trust, has been lost.

The Russian Prime Minister said that there is no better way to solve the Ukraine crisis than through the Minsk agreements, the implementation of which largely depends on Kiev.

The Russian politician also commented on the Syrian crisis, acknowledging that political dialogue remains the only solution. Terrorism, he said, is turning into global warfare. It is a civilizational problem.

Dmitry Medvedev underlined the need to maintain a single Syrian state and to prevent disintegration on religious grounds.

He also commented on the migration crisis and its influence not only on Europe but on Russia as well.

"Terrorists are able to increase influence while Russia and the West are unable to cooperate," he noted.

The majority of crises, he stressed, did not emerge overnight, and it was not Russia who created them.

The Russian Prime Minister also pointed at the danger of the so-called “doctrine of containment of Russia”. It will not solve any problems within 20 years. There are no discussions possible in a global Caliphate.

Answering the question about the Syrian crisis, the Prime Minister said that he visited the country before it plunged into a civil war. He said that the problems were caused by help from the outside. But the world should not just stand by and watch how the war is raging.

Russia, he said, does not pursue any secret goals in its Syrian campaign and openly reveals everything about its mission there. And the world should prevent the country's disintegration into several parts, and should prevent it from following the Libyan path.

On the Ukrainian Crisis

Answering the question on the Ukrainian crisis and the downing of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft, the Prime Minister urged for a comprehensive investigation into who was responsible for it.

The MSC is an international, nongovernmental, independent forum for discussing major security issues. Founded in 1962 to facilitate consultations between NATO member countries, it now involves representatives from Central and Eastern Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East, as well as former Soviet states.