Стр. 32 - V

Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Natalia Narochnitskaia, head of the European In-
stitute of Democracy and Cooperation , said with confi-
dence: "As prime minister, he thought not only
about what was reasonable and appropriate but
also about what was righteous and fair."
"But the most important thing," she continued, "is
that although he was built into the high echelons
of power both in the Soviet and post-Soviet his-
tory, Ye.M. Primakov, luckily, did not seem to iden-
tify the state - always an imperfect and sinful political institution - with the Motherland,
which has eternal and immutable national interests. He knew that navigable rivers, ice-free
ports, and protective borders are equally important for the monarchies of the 18th century,
the communist states of the 20th century, and the democracies of the 21st century. It was
enough to look without rose-colored glasses at the foreign policy of the world around,
which lectured us on fundamental human values and, while we feasted on new thinking,
took advantage of old thinking!"
Alexei Vasiliev, director of the Russian Academy of
Sciences Institute of Africa, believes that one of Ye.M.
Primakov's special features is that he knows how
to analyze facts and, especially important, how to
predict them.
A. Vasiliev describes another unique feature: "It is
a view of the world events as a big picture. It is re-
flected in some of Ye.M. Primakov' works. Pri-
makov said that Russia's future lies in its relations
with China and the U.S. We should not be in alliance with China against the U.S. or in al-
liance with the U.S. against China. We should cooperate, taking into account our common
interests with both parties. This is one of the most difficult strategic challenges facing our
foreign policy."
Vitaly Tretyakov, dean of the Higher School of Tele-
vision at the Moscow State University, believes that 'Ye.
M.Primakov has in effect started the overt and
covert struggle against the oligarchs, and V.V. Putin
followed in his footsteps.
Continuing the hypothetical line of reasoning, he
says: "Suppose Ye.M. Primakov became the presi-
dent of Russia as a result of the 1996 election, and
then V.V. Putin followed. How much more fortu-
nate Russia's fate would have been!”