Thread by @tepsaeu

We are attending @ComeniusUni's debate on EU-Russia relations in the wake of #WarinUkraine 👉 we'll enjoy interventions from TEPSA Chairperson Lucia Mokrá, @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe), and Aliaksei Kazharski

We'll also be highlighting the best bits here on Twitter, as always

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This event takes place in the framework of our upcoming book "Russia and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals", published by @SpringerNature and edited by @MichaelKaeding (@unidue), @JohannesPollak (@WebsterVienna), and @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe)

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.@_PaulSchmidt introduces the book, describing it as a "journey through the political diversity of Europe [...] you will find out that geography, history, politics, economics, all have a role in defining a country's relations to #Russia"

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"When you read the book, you come to understand how public perceptions of #Russia are formed uniquely in over 41 countries across #Europe"

- @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe), co-editor of "Russia and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals"

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"We want to use this book as a basis to have discussions on the current developments in EU-Russia relations, this is why we meet here today"

- @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe), co-editor of "Russia and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals"

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After that introduction to TEPSA's upcoming book on EU-Russia relations from co-editor @_PaulSchmidt, our moderator Andrea Figulová passes the floor to TEPSA Chairperson Lucia Mokrá, to present her chapter in the book on perceptions of #Russia in 🇸🇰

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"In many places in Slovakia before the #InvasionofUkraine, people felt #Russia was a "big brother", given the historical ties between the two countries, particularly after World War 2"

- Lucia Mokrá, TEPSA Chairperson (@ComeniusUni)

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"The Agreement on Economic and Scientific Technical Cooperation regulated this 'big brother' relation between Slovakia and Russia in 2005. This agreement was not a good deal for Slovakia, and the deficit rose in its wake"

- Lucia Mokrá, TEPSA Chairperson (@ComeniusUni)

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"Relations had been quite strong, though Slovakia was more economically dependent on #Russia. This influenced the public perception of Russia: in 2020 surveys showed a generally positive view of Russia"
- Lucia Mokrá, TEPSA Chairperson (@ComeniusUni)

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"The annexation of #Crimea by Russia in 2014 marked a turning point for Slovakia's relations towards Russia: in the UN Slovakia strongly opposed the annexation"

- Lucia Mokrá, TEPSA Chairperson (@ComeniusUni)

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"Even with Russia's aggression in Ukraine, strong historical links still influence public perceptions of #Russia in #Slovakia: we should raise awareness of a European approach to ending the #WarinUkraine to counter this positive public perception"
- Lucia Mokrá (@ComeniusUni)
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On this note Andrea Figulová passes the floor to Aliaksei Kazharski for his take on the impact of Russia's aggression in #Ukraine on Slovakia's raltions with #Russia

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"It is becoming increasingly difficult to separate 'Russia' from the Russian regime and #VladimirPutin"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"There has been a lot of talk in the last years about divisions in the V4: some of this discourse was advanced by #Orban's exploitation of the #RefugeeCrisis"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"If we look at the V4 in 2022, we see that it is an ad hoc alliance, hinging on Western influence. On Russia, many of the issues were outsourced to the EU & NATO, so divisions within the V4 have only recently became clear"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"We think about dependence: the Baltic States are HEAVILY dependent on Russia, but this never influenced their policy towards Russia to any great extent"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"The #RussianAggression has changed things: in Czechia, previously pro-Russian forces have changed their views, in Hungary, #Orban doubled down on his support for Russia"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"The future of the V4 may be decided by the #Russia issue, and the Slovak elections: will Orban's Russia support come to dominate the group, or will liberal forces prevail?"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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After these initial presentations, our moderator Andrea Figulová starts the discussion about where our speakers think the future of the Slovak position lie

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Yesterday's speech by @ZelenskyyUa in the Slovak Parliament shows us where every major politician stands on the #RussianAggression: this will be important information for the Slovak population during the upcoming elections"

- Lucia Mokrá, TEPSA Chairperson (@ComeniusUni)

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"Neutrality is a self-delusion in Slovakia. For every Switzerland, there are ten Belgiums, Denmarks, Polands who have experiences occupation and subjugation in the last century"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"In 2014, Russian propaganda claimed Ukraine was about to join the EU. In 2022, Russian propaganda claimed Ukraine was about to join NATO. This is not true, and is only an excuse to justify the resurgence of Russian imperialism"

- Aliaksei Kazharski (@ComeniusUni)

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"Ukraine's neutrality was enshrined in its constitution. But in terms of who can guarantee Ukraine's security, this is for Ukraine to decide"

- @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe), co-editor of "Russia and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals"

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"In Austria, despite our military neutrality, public opinion is strongly in support of #Ukraine: we side with the six waves of sanction measures we have seen. We also understand the difficulties presented by our dependence on Russian gas"

- @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe)

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We are now enjoying a dynamic Q&A between our speakers and the audience, on a number of topics: how to respond to Russia's demands of paying for gas in Rubles, Angela Merkel's failure to deal with Putin, the role of Ursula von der Leyen, and much more

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Our moderator Andrea Filgulová now closes the Q&A and adds her final remarks: "even though we have strong historical ties to Russia, the ultimate position of Slovakia towards Russia must come from its membership of the EU and its support for the people of Ukraine"

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Thank you to our speakers Andrea Filgulová, Lucia Mokrá, Aliaksei Kazharski, adn @_PaulSchmidt

And stay tuned for our video recording of the event, coming soon!

/ENDS

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