you're watching r t the headlines now in france with ask the u.n. to open up syria's skies for western bombers another broadside on our side's regime kiters number two endorses the rebellion. a sinister walk in the woods with an infuriated general opposition journalist claims that led to a showdown with russia's top investigator over an article accusing him of my feelings. and egyptian relief of the end of a thirty year emergency rule a short lived as authorities again allow the army to detain civilians and the presidential election runoff in the country's women who fear the worst. when next

artie's spotlight program focuses in on the vision for europe as seen by its chief economic powerhouse germany. good lover a jury was able to build a new. fortunately dorna found anything. to teach me why you should care about humans. this is why you should care only dog. hello again and welcome to the show on our album in albany today my guest on the

program. i thought. it was germany. russian president chose his destination for the first official visit outside but. what does this choice mean for the relations between russia and germany and between russia and europe in general europe which is now in the grip of an economic turmoil who asked this and other questions to a prominent expert and international relations in germany. but important travel plans have received a lot of media attention lately after him. and went to belarus and. germany. contra to visit. president germany has long been brushes. and one of the biggest markets. russia germany trade was worth the records.

countries are also working together. which would deliver russia. to its first line was launched. hello mr brown welcome to the show thank you very much for being with us well first of all how was it seen here in germany that mr putin chose berlin as his first destination in europe first foreign destination outside the post have its place now we have two. schools of thought in germany concerning russia one is very interesting ethic about russia this is a business community and the into the aesthetic lee of course welcomed mr putin here in germany and they understand that for mr putin they can do business with russia and as long as he's in power they will face stability on the russian market and this simply see no alternative to him and can't imagine any real alternative

for him in the next six years there's another small school of thought that of i would say moralists liberals here in germany who would rather like to conduct policy oriented and focused solely on values towards russia and to they think that russia is departing from democracy they think that russia is turning towards tele tarion system and they didn't welcome putting it all so so so the reaction was mixed but german chancellor angela merkel she pressed putin to allow democratic diversity ike want to develop in russia how serious is this issue on democracy in miracles policy towards putin had very difficult to understand. german. it's a value oriented policy of the reality politic which is also always traditional in

germany germany's eastern policy mrs america said. two or three weeks ago. that crane is a dictatorship she very much criticized which she also very much criticized the question. also as a dictator i think that in the past couple of days she understood that she controls the east and while criticizing me on the court which for having you let emotion in prison she had to balance somehow this kind of harsh criticism was more a real politic approach towards russia because the business in germany has very strong interests in the east and if america would concentrate only on the value or the policy only criticizing russia for not being democratic then business would feel it on the russian markets and also the human to human contacts will suffer so i think she she says she's ok in that she's trying to do balls when she talks about

values shift course sense that it signals to her own people here in germany but nevertheless she understands that the riyadh political approach is very important towards a complicated but a very important partner russia there was an article in sheffield i think in germany warning about a new ice age in there coming up in the russian hegemony who ations then it was followed by a couple of publications in russia and the sleaze the russian expert expert committee started talking about problems that may happen in russian german relations because they said merkel liked medvedev as a partner more than she likes putin is it true or is that speculation well it's things because. because you could witness is that. not only miss america but the of the west favorite video clearly or put in because of send the right

messages to the west and in the video appeared to be more western like more democratic more liberal than the putin who is in many ways connected was was a traditional authoritarian policy in russia isn't putting more real politik then i would say made a video for the president was also very much we are political but i wouldn't put too much weight into what was formerly saying about me bit of yes she liked him a little bit more than put in but she's real politik enough they all for the titian enough to understand that innocent russia russia is not put in germany for the next decades centuries needs good solutions was russia we can build a europe was old russia so she has also to deal with putin and i think she will do it at this for the next year until the german elections we don't know who will be german chancellor after next september this visit did the fact that the new

president started his relations with the world from germany did it somehow. add to systems some more understanding when proven tough understanding between the two capitals. i mean video of course in this four years had a very good relationship with america and a lot of things especially in the sphere of business press but i would also say in the context between elites about civil societies mehmood forward. i could have been for example the peter book dialogue meeting every year and who's developing into a very interesting vehicle of course a connection between two nations to states if you want and to elites but don't forget that putin is long enough in power and mrs america was before becoming chancellor of germany as the leader of the opposition party in the german bundestag for many years so she knows putin very well or more or less well since he became

russian president and she has a working relationship with him from all the european leaders and you see the the french president has gone tony blair has gone in britain obama is relatively new bush was leading america the first decade of the century mrs merkel remains the old veteran coming events. of course a very responsible in in what she's doing for the west now she's old dement leader of europe the secret about this and she feels more and more for it was each year when she's in power that kind of responsibility and that means that she also feels a lot of responsibility towards russia and of course even if she may be disliked fortune because of his biography nevertheless i think she will do good work with him and by the way i watch this press conference during their visit and detected some positive chester between those two leaders let's hear more on this now from.

this report from the heart of germany. during the last school have gone very much dependent on each other trade between the two can't. it has been ruined by whoops and bounce in paul it is chilling he remains russia's main mediator in his dialogue with the west one of the reporters first official presidential visit was to burrow in despite all that oh it's a very simplistic forecast in. the country. that might mean spreading over russia's relations with the home of the e.u. although a recent joint press conference between the respective leaders in berlin was mostly about mutual understanding on the issue of syria he was not devoid of a fly and the german chancellor is raising the issue of democracy in russia for minors i made it clear on my part that we have every interest in democratic

diversity in russia been able to develop further because my experience is it is only that way that a truly robust civil society can rise which supports the development of the country . and that was just one of the mutual reproaches in russia's dialogue with europe that same day and a news conference in paris it was vital hinton's turn to criticize the west he spoke of russia's need for guarantees and plans for a european missile defense shield an issue which has always disturbed russia. in the past we've often been promised that they wouldn't expand then we were promised that nato wouldn't put military hardware near russia because the bush seen it expand and its base and spread now we need guarantees usually the just another stumbling block in russia's relations with the e.u. the stalled negotiations over creating a more user friendly visa regime the problem was discussed at length at the recent

russia e.u. summit in st petersburg russia stance on the syrian crisis remains one more point of disagreement as the country has been happily criticised by some of its european partners for its rejection. military intervention in syria. well one of the fields of disagreements between russia and europe in general north germany one of europe's leaders is of course syria the rise of tensions in syria what's going on in this country the attitude because europe things that russia is backing the syrian leader russia is saying that europe is trying to interfere so do you think there can be a compromise between russia and the west in the middle east policy. the compromise here is not on syria syria is secondary and the whole thing a power game which which is being. which is developing in the near east and where europe russia and that state is very much involved i would say the

big question is here about the future world order and here of course the germans don't understand the russian position they think that russia is backing the syrian leader what is from my point of view not true russia. is not backing. out and syria is not such a big friend of russia what is true is that has to be understood in the studio here in the west that russia does not want to help the west to create a new new lateral world order where nato would act as a policeman that can lead yesterday and tomorrow in syria because nato on nato states decides who is civilian and who is a good guy here in the world in the world politics and this is what russia wants to prevent and here russia is very close the connection of course with china china has the same interest to create a multipolar world where there will be many centers of power and where there will

be no single made center which would make decisions to punish and who not. miss misbehaves in world affairs you know if if i get it rightly my impression is that a europe and germany as one is not also very very much interested in becoming a policeman anywhere including the middle east because that they are if it's a uni polar world is going to be the united states and not nato. the problem only is that we're live in the in a new world concerning information strategies information communications the role of the media has grown. very extensively in the past couple of years and those pictures which are being produced by the western media is are being very becoming guidelines for politicians what i want to say that if you

see more and more pictures of what is happening in syria as this massacre which took place there a couple of weeks ago you can close your eyes as a petition because of the societies you're elites demand that you do something with that because people don't don't want to see it they think that this is a criminal act that this is a genocide what is happening in syria as a genocide which from the point of view of the west was happening in libya and they force the politicians to react if the politicians don't react they lose or sort of the looks a little sympathies here and also power so in a certain way this is a very complicated game between media images which are being created the politicians have to react. i mean sound is around a prominent german political spotlight will be back after to take a short break so stay with us.

you know how sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture. if you're followed up on my desk you'll get all the good. times are sort of a throwback and archaic part of our long. and it goes back to a time when people would lie down in their forces in the wild west and pick up these fugitives and putting them into the sheriff for prosecution i don't think

what company may well feel guilty. when they go out there he's got weapons. and you have to hope that nothing bad. would. but we're chasing killers and you gotta keep that in mind others the two million dollar bill please the rest. were not superheroes we can be killed to you know they should be in the head i'm going to die. and. once you've hunted run you and i will never go back to hunt anything else. will be the true science technology innovation hall believes developments from around russia we've got the future covered. welcome back to spotlight i'm al gore knob and my guest on the show today is alex

on the. graham a prominent german political analyst we're talking about the recent recent put ins visit to germany and also about the first moves in the foreign policy of the newly elected russian president mr roach you just mentioned the first steps and the reaction in germany to the first steps of mr putin after his visit to berlin he came back to moscow and he met with the europeans in st petersburg rather where he was insisting that europe should abolish these us for russians and in moscow it was seen as the main international go for this. for this term of put enough of us do you believe this will happen. her colleagues should look into the archives and then they will detect that putin made the proposal of abolished visa spec in two thousand to ten years ago so it has been it he said

gender of his first term and of his second term and was. presidency which also was devoted to abolishing of visas between the european union and russia but we know that there are problems. many technical problems in this regard. which some have to be solved i think it's a nonsense and i said it of many occasions before that representatives of the latin american countries of course the united states canadians israelis can travel to europe without visas even some representatives of northern african countries could go with obvious us to france or spain but russians are koreans and belarusian i think that situation must change and my guess is that until the soccer championship in russia in eighteen. this issue will be solved our german ex foreign minister your fish said recently that merkel leads europe to ruin with

her austerity measures well how do these measures serve her popularity do you think that there is a probability that miracle will follow sarkozy and berlusconi. we are now in a very interesting moment when this austerity policy which was conducted and developed by mrs america and the conservative french president sarkozy may change the maybe another compromise everything looks like a compromise where there are two measures that will remain in place but will be mixed with some kind of other policies of supporting growth in europe that includes more government changing maybe maybe even more money printing we are still in a very deep crisis and the solution is now that. when you saying we are in a clearly germany are you really the un germany of course germany is also in the crisis of can't avoid this i enjoy many isn't a crisis but what should be said about greece and spain the. greeks are somewhere

else than the crisis but europe is in the crisis but europe is not falling apart and they are scenarios of what might happen i mean one of the scenarios which is widely discussed in europe is a change of the euro zone i mean greece will leave the euro zone but poland will become a member of this euro zone a stone member of this or a zone sweden will enter the results will not catastrophe i think will happen the problem is that the aura zone will change and greece will leave and the thousand countries will also maybe have problems and staying in that or a zones like italy spain and portugal we will deal with a different europe we are you talking about greece leaving the euro zone is something normal but many other people including financial risk would say this is castro this is the end of the euro well there are already troubles and i and the markets today here you don't see it as

a comparative i mean not you personally but german the germany in general greece makes two percent of the european economy. greece will not suffer badly if they go out of the euro of the depths which. they accumulated will be forgiven anyway this was the main reason why we kept greece in the aura zone for the past two three years or so probably some experts with it and saying that it's degree was had to marley or no big deal if after greece other countries will follow it will be a big deal if. even conservative david cameron the british prime minister called the e.u. governments to create a budget union in order to save the euro would germany approve such decision because they will have to to pay the biggest sure thank you for the advice mr cameron but you yourself are almost leaving the european union because you don't want to do anything with with this sort of problems. which which we have. but.

this is the way this is the way how the german politicians and german sallied see it more europe better than less europe because it will stop in the process of building the common european states. or the danger is that we will fall back into the national states in europe because europe will not bind countries together and the whole of europe will suffer and we are in a very decisive moment in the next months where politicians have to take right decisions i see in other decisive moments and in european politics today because the relations between germany and france are or have a very strained you know better than me and they they were never easy but the two countries for five of the last decade they were the main driving force behind the european union now when when merkel lost sara because he as

a closest ally do you think new problems may appear between germany and france if you argue politically then you can say that yes there is a danger that france will become the leader of the so-called south against. austerity policy of mrs merkel in the norse of europe but at the same time i mean every normal thinking european will face of the german french mortar or the german french allies alliance is the key alliance for europe and if this breaks apart then . the whole european idea that the german french motor and the german french alliance and corporation is very important and if you look back to the the surpassed even twenty years you always have seen even attempts even by the french to say that if things will go bat let's start to create a common a common state together those germans in order to save europe what i would argue is

that in germany and in france there dia of keeping this europe as it is even strength and it's this is key it's still without a turnip if and it will stay for a couple of time is there such a thing as euro skepticism i mean as a serious thing in germany is there sort of a year for the business market for example i don't text it in germany because the germans so far have won from the or because germany is producing something here on its territory. other than other countries in europe who do not do this and germany can sell its product on a much larger interior european market so a lot of people benefit from this and look at the numbers in germany yes i told you before we are in the crisis we are in a crisis because the middle class is suffering from too many taxations from all this money which it has to pay for everything but on the same time we don't have a mess an employment like in spain or in italy or in portugal or in greece we have

some perspectives on the global markets there is we don't have a radical party like in greece or and some other countries which could be elected the top of germany there is more stability in the than elsewhere in germany and this might be a very good also sign for europe that there is still a good chance then the worst will be hopefully soon over what about the nationalistic problem i mean as we saw on the recent election can be in france. has shown us. politics is becoming pretty anti-semitic in europe and this is worrying for many people do you have signs of that in germany is that one reason no anti semitic i disagree i mean this is this is not what i see but. muslim. say for a nurse. others. it's a key problem maybe in countries where you have mass unemployment where people are

losing any kind of perspective for what to do how to live in future but not in germany because i said there's not no one input no must look look look at our elections we have elections every year in on the federal level every four year but we have elections regularly lections in. the communes on the criminal level and in the lender and you don't see any radical party coming up lately with more stability than elsewhere thank you thank you very much mr just reminded of my guest on the show today was alexander farrar prominent german political analyst and that's it for now for the spotlight will be back with more first hand comments on what's going on in and outside russia until then stay on r.t. and take a.