While all others speak about Russia as a big threat, Marie Krarup of the Danish people’s party went the opposite way. Today it is one of those who advocates a more compromising tone in relation to Russia.
Sanctions against Russia should be canceled. They still don’t work. The Crimea was annexed, but we still can’t do anything. Now we just have to move on, to start a dialogue with Russia to the tense situation turned into a new world war.
These are the arguments Marie Krarup (the Danish people’s party) in favor of a more compromising policy towards Russia. While the Intelligence services of the police, the majority of experts and politicians consider Russia as a growing threat to Denmark and NATO, Marie Krarup all more warmly and earnestly talks about the need to cooperate more with Russia.
She recently said that the Intelligence service of the police of exaggerating the threat from Russia in order to divert attention from the Islamist terrorist threat that, in her opinion, much worse.
The attack on the intelligence Service has forced a number of politicians in the Danish people’s party to distance themselves from Krarup and to emphasize that the party has full confidence in the estimates, which gives intelligence.
Even earlier policy, representing different colors of the political spectrum, called Marie Krarup a useful idiot and said that it represents the support for Putin’s party, threatening security, while participants in the debate, especially in social media, hinted that it bought Russia and gets money from it.
When the reporter Information was found with Marie Krarup in her cozy office at the top of PROVENTHOTEL (Proviantgården), which houses many of the politicians sitting in the Folketing, next to the Christiansborg Palace, Maria Krarup strongly rejected the assumption that it is Russia in your pocket.
“This is complete nonsense,” she said.
“Surely they would say the same thing if I called for dialogue with China or Saudi Arabia? Such accusations and vicious, and vulgar, it is an attack on me personally, and the manifestation of the low level of culture of debate, which I have to put up with, because I speak about Russia. I am not a voice of Russia in the Folketing. I am speaking on behalf of Denmark, and I don’t think that the war with Russia in the Danish interests.”
With Russia in heart
Office Marie Krarup is little that indicates her great interest in Russia, in addition to colorful wall plates with the famous onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral in the center and the word “Moscow” written in Russian and English around.
The rest of the decor under the ceiling beams consists of camouflage caps of the Danish special forces in Iraq, military insignia most Marie Krarup — she’s a reserve major, and three Danish landscapes from the bins. § On the shelf are pages of the report, entitled “God, King and Fatherland”.
In the heart of the 51-year-old speaker on issues of military policy, Russia occupies a special place.
Search in the database of the Danish media showed that last year it had been — at least — 556 articles on the topic. This also should be added, and numerous appearances on television and radio.
She believes that says a lot about Russia and believes that the objective of the attack to its lot, happened by chance.
“From 1985 to 2005, Russia actually was my main occupation, so it happened that I speak on this subject,” she says, and recalls that he graduated University majoring in “Russian language”, was a military translator and worked for three years as an assistant military attaché at the Danish Embassy in Moscow.
But Russia itself is a very important issue, she said.
“When the defense Minister Klaus yort (Fredriksen — approx. ed.) and many others say that Russia represents the biggest threat to Denmark, of course, very important to do this.”
What is the threat?
But in the eyes of Marie Krarup, Russia — whatever, not a threat. “It’s not the image that I have formed. I simply don’t see any threat that Russia could provide”.
“Militarily, Russia is 10-12 times weaker than NATO, and they do not build up weapons to some incredible extent. In fact, the Russian military budget next year will be reduced by 2%. So Russia, at least, not like a country that is once again going to fight.”
— And what about Russia’s violation of Danish airspace and Russian cyber threat, which recently warned the defence Minister Klaus yort Fredriksen (Claus Hjort Frederiksen)?
— They must not violate our airspace or to arrange a cyber attack. We have to stop it, but will be better able to do so if you agree with the Russians about this. This is the only correct option. We should not blame each other, she says.
And in General: a way forward lies in dialogue and cooperation with Russia, emphasizes Marie Krarup.
“In order to defend their own interests, it is necessary to talk to each other and try to understand what others say. That is the essence of international politics. And, for that matter, it applies to Russia and China and Iran”.
As for Russia, she believes, however, that here we are dealing with “incredible distortions in the debate and absolutely ridiculous demonization of Russia”.
“Of course, we all have the ability of critical relationships, we must understand that this is a game. But if we want the world to develop peacefully, we have to talk to those state leaders who are, instead show them the middle finger and saying “You fools, you fools, you fools””.
What’s done is done
Among other things Marie Krarup has strongly advocated that the West has lifted the economic sanctions against Russia, imposed after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, this view is shared by many other right populist parties in Europe and the American President Donald trump.
The sanctions are unfair and do not work, here is her argument. “The sanctions do lead to nothing. They only increase tension.”
— Did Russia have a right to Annex Crimea?
I don’t want to talk about it, what’s done is done. The Western position is that Russia has done something wrong, so Russia should be punished, she says. But international law is not carved in concrete. Meter stretch, and the West uses it to justify their own actions and condemnation of the actions of others when he needs it.
But how was the annexation of Crimea as legitimate or illegitimate?
It doesn’t matter. Much more important to know how we can create a world where we hadn’t fought each other.
Hyper-realists
The fact that Marie Krarup’s call to reconciliation has attracted so much attention, in her own words, due to the fact that the position of the Danish people’s party foreign policy is quite different from the positions of other parties in Christiansborg.
The fact that they are Hyper-realists, she explains.
“It’s not because we like Russia or because we have some interest in drawing attention to Russia. This is because we treat foreign policy as realists. We’re just not typical of the idealistic approach, which is typical for all others, and therefore what we say has attracted so much attention,” says Krarup.
A realistic approach means that Marie Krarup has no plans to change the world.
It is what it is, and Denmark to do nothing can not, and should not.
“We have a realistic, pragmatic approach, we see the world the way it is. We have no special mission, we can not afford, so we believe,” she said.
“And so we also believe that we need to talk with those regimes, and those countries that are. Even if they have the system that we don’t like. We should still treat them with respect and to say that we have within our own borders, this will not happen. We must not remake the world.”
Be yourself sufficiently
On the website of Amnesty International laid out occupying more than 40 pages of reports on violations of human rights, backed the regime of President Putin. But Marie Krarup — not from those who criticize the killing of civilians in Syria, political assassinations, imprisonment of politicians-opposition or suppression of press freedom in Russia. And there is reason, she says.
“I don’t care mode in Russia. I don’t think there’s enough freedom. I can like the freedom that we have in Denmark, but it’s not my business — to equip Russia. This they must themselves care,” says Krarup.
“I have no opinion on the situation inside Russia.”
And in General: Marie Krarup does not believe that Denmark or the West should intervene in what is happening in other countries.
“It is wrong to approach a world that is so diverse and ambiguous, with some universal principles,” she says.
She also agreed with Putin, recognized Marie Krarup.
“We agree that to dream that the whole world will be liberal and democratic, etc. etc. is completely wrong. But that’s exactly what I think many countries — in fact, basically all countries except Western Europe and the United States.”
Farewell to girl fighting
According to Marie Krarup, the world is close to ending ambitions of a liberal world order and she is very glad: “It was too much: “we will talk to you only when you will do the same as we speak as well as we subscribe to the rules of a liberal world order, as we do,” she says.
“It’s not what you need in order to ensure the triumph of peace and sanity on the planet.”
On the contrary, she believes that the liberal world order has made the West too arrogant and led to his departure from Christian values, which, in its opinion, the Western world ought to adhere to.
“Secularization that occurred in the West, has led to what we think have found the truth. This would clearly not have happened if we adhered to Christian values, according to which we know that we are all sinners, and that we should be self-critical and to notice the beam in your own eye instead of seeing the speck in the eyes of our brothers,” she says, and suddenly becomes like a daughter of the priest of the parish Plant (Seem), which, in fact, is.
“I think it’s just wonderful that we are moving away from the idea of the American political scientist Francis Fukiyama on liberal democracy and free market economy as the final world order, because it led to many casualties. In truth, it’s just a religious idea.”
Instead, she believes that the idea of clash of civilizations belonging to the American Professor Samuel Huntington, is more relevant.
“They describe the reality, but if we treat the reality as what it is, we will have more opportunities to provide world peace,” she says, and from the reception of the Folketing already calling to say that she sent the next group of journalists.
“Of course, we can never achieve a perfect world, because people are people,” she says, heading towards the door.
“But we’re going in the right direction, and fortunately, it happens by itself”.
