People’s diplomacy is an alternative to NATO

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People's diplomacy is an alternative to NATO
People's diplomacy is an alternative to NATO

Russian veteran organizations of officers of the reserve strengthen relations with colleagues from other countries

Celebration of the Great Victory took place not only in Russia. On May 9, representatives of organizations of officers of the reserve from more than 30 countries conducted a humanitarian action entitled “Mission of peace and friendship” in Bratislava. The event ended with a ceremony of laying of wreaths near the monument to the servicemen who died during liberation of Slovakia from fascism. Alexander Kanshin, president of the International Consultation Council (ICC) of the organizations of officers of the reserve announced, “The main goal of international humanitarian action “Mission of peace and friendship is prevention of revival of neo-fascism.” So it happens that it seems that we are in a quarrel with NATO and Europe but there are organizations like ICC in Russia that unite veteran movements and servicemen from all over the world.

It was evidently not incidental that during the event Kanshin said that “veterans have come to pay the holy tribute to the warriors who have died in the struggle against fascism who represent now countries that are in various military political blocs and are far from agreeing in everything in evaluation of contemporary events. However, we are united in the main thing: we should not allow repetition of the terrors brought to the peoples by German fascism during World War II years.”

Many people who think like Kanshin and are ICC members say so.

Until recently, there was no organization uniting officers of the reserve from various countries in the newest international military history. Mass media reported that such international movement finally appeared. Besides participation of ICC in the events dedicated to the Great Victory in Bratislava there was already the fifth meeting of the general assembly of this organization. At present, ICC includes representatives of 27 countries of Europe, Asia, Middle East and Central Asia. This is not little if we bear in mind that this international organization is only six years old (it was established on June 15 of 2011). If we take the history of the National Association of Unions of Officers of the Reserve of the Armed Forces (MEGAPIR) that has become initiator of establishment of ICC, the movement of officers of the reserve is already more than 20 years old.

ICC of officers of the reserve is a nongovernmental and non-political organization. According to regulations of ICC, members of the committee are obliged to carry out joint activity observing the laws of their states, as well as international treaties and agreements. When they meet, they conduct consultations, contribute to uniting of veteran organizations and formation of kind and generous attitude to them in the public consciousness of peoples of various countries and organize exchange of experience of work on spiritual upbringing of children and youths. An important line of this work is struggle for peace, struggle against terrorism and other acts of aggression that, unfortunately, take place in many countries of Europe and in the world as a whole. Who else can say their word about these problems if not military veterans.

Participants of the fifth general assembly of ICC in Bratislava discussed problems related to consolidation of peoples of the world against international terrorism. The final memorandum of ICC adopted unanimously especially emphasized that “there is no alternative to struggle against terrorism on the basis of permanent collective efforts of the international community regardless of political situation.” Veterans who knew the real price of war and peace pointed attention of heads of states and governments to the fact that central coordinating role in this work belonged to the UN.

 

This statement evidently did not sound in the memorandum incidentally. The UN is an international non-military neutral ex-bloc organization in which almost all countries that are on our planet participate. The veteran officers who know the real price of war and peace stake exactly on the UN. Many other big organizations like NATO, CSTO, SCO etc have, as a rule, corporate content. Their goals sometimes have a confrontation aspect. Along with this, on the humanitarian level there is a possibility for people who are not indifferent to unite now, first of all, for officers of the reserve from the whole world to say their word in the struggle for peace against war, struggle against terrorism, protection of rights and liberties of the personality, propaganda of ideas of humanism and creation.

General Secretary of ICC Anatoly Kumakhov says, “One of the goals of ICC is provision of taking of urgent coordinated measures by joint efforts and methods of “people’s diplomacy” for prevention of further escalation of tension in the world that has reached a menacing level.”

Retired Colonel and President of ICC Alexander Kanshin says, “There are officers and generals from various countries of Europe in our organization. For example, they are from Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia etc. In the Soviet time they were in the so-called Warsaw Pact. Now these countries are members of NATO bloc and counteract to us, especially lately. But these people, veterans from these countries are close to us still. In the past, they studied in the USSR in military academies and schools, they were friends and remained friends of Russian officers of the reserve, servicemen from other CIS countries. We understand common problems that can be solved only by officer veteran movements and we try to solve them.”

Along with this, Kanshin presumes that activity of ICC and MEGAPIR could be more efficient if a bigger aid to it was provided by officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry, diplomats and other state services of Russia, for example, Rossotrudnichestvo.

Thus, international veteran officer movement continues its development. There are problems on its path. Bearing in mind the optimism of the organizers of ICC, it is possible to hope that they will be solved sooner or later.

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