October 24, 2024

EIR’s Exchange with Russian Presidential Advisor Anton Kobyakov

Nov. 17—The following is the text of the exchange between Russian presidential advisor Anton Kobyakov and EIR’s Sébastien Périmony and Helen Borodina, at the Kazan BRICS summit on Oct. 24, which appeared in Vol. 51, No. 43, Nov. 1, 2024 on page 22. EIR on November 1, had published a paraphrase; this is an edited transcript including translation from Russian to English.

Périmony: Even if the BRICS is not anti-West, the West is currently anti-BRICS. If this does not change, we have the risk of nuclear war in the conflicts occurring in Ukraine and the Middle East, and a perpetuation of sanctions. Do you think the BRICS process will change the outlook of the Anglo-American elites, to participate positively in developing a new security and development architecture, as called for by Helga Zepp-LaRouche of the Schiller Institute?

Kobyakov: Indeed, we hope very much for that—that they will take part in hammering out, so to speak, peace initiatives. Our President talks about that, always. And we even have a nuclear deterrence strategy. The main thing is that Pax Americana, if it collapses—the main thing is that when they collapse, that they not bury all of us under the rubble.

As I already said, nuclear—we have a nuclear deterrence doctrine, but we’re not waving that, so to speak, like a scarecrow. We are saying that we need moderation, guys; we tell everyone, we address to the world these words: Let’s respect each other and behave with more restraint. You have the Ukrainians saying that they need just a week to make a bomb. Someone else says: We’ll get you a bomb, go and shoot there. What is this? What kind of peace initiatives? It’s some kind of deception.

Borodina: Can the development of BRICS restrain Israel from making strikes against Iran, and prevent a local and global conflict? Thank you.

Kobyakov: Do you mean in the future? When everything is over, or when?

Borodina: In principle.

Kobyakov: In principle? I think that the Jews are intelligent people. Considering that they put their country together based on ethnicity, and that they experienced the tribulations that took place during the Great Patriotic War [World War II]—we do not agree with what is happening in Gaza. And it seems to me that more than half of Israel is protesting against the events taking place in Gaza. Maybe it’s even more than half, in Israel. Netanyahu is implementing his own plan. In this way they are expanding their territory. But, as you said, when all is over and done, one would like to know what their plan is for the overall result of what they are doing; whether they will preserve, after all this, their statehood and sovereignty. Considering that you are asking this question on behalf of an American publication, probably people in the U.S.A., too, are beginning to have doubts about whether or not Israel is on the right path. Maybe they will hear the speeches made in the expanded session and the restricted-format session [of the BRICS summit] on this topic, and perhaps they will come to their senses. Maybe they will. We’ll hope for that, along with you.