“I don’t do it a mea culpa. So zit ik niet in elkaar”, says Gerhard Schröder in a zeldzaam interview met The New York Times. Hij ziet geen talk om zich te apologize, zegt hij. Hij heeft altijd de Duitse concerns served. “I do what I can. Ten minutes isn’t familiar to me”, he says, it’s clear that it’s not possible for Germany to be.
Op 9 December 2005, zeventien dagen na zijn verkiezingsnederlaag, kreeg Schröder telefoon van the Russian president Vladimir Poetin. The plan for a future project to function in the Nord Stream project. That project – de aanleg van een Rechtstreekse gaspijpleiding van Russia naar Duitsland – what in the last weken van Schöders regering goedgekeurd. Sindsdien is working as a lobbyist for the Russian oil and gas industry.
Dedicated poet waar hij kan
Hij emphasized in the interview a fervent tegenstander van de olie- en gasboycot van Rusland en verdedig Poetin waar hij maar kan. When the Russians are all guilty, they never acted on behalf of poets themselves, says Schröder, but someone on a camp level.
A man had traveled before Moscow was said to be with the poet, in a vergeefse, informal poging tot be middeling. “I think that this is the first time I’ve forgotten it, I’ve already said that. Het some what we can now do, is so soon possible vrede sluiten.” When Schröder now said to be responsible for Gazprom, when he lost his trust in Poetin, there was talk.
In 2005, he was even told about the overstap of the ex-bondskanselier to a Russian function, but there was some confusion about that. A year later, Schröder had an idea of what was going on in the administration office: “I want to make money.” Sea what not. Hij Kreeg bij Nord Stream Ruim 250,000 euros per year. There will be later a function by the Russian oliegigant Rosneft, which will cost 550,000 euros per year. Onlangs he bovendien een function aangeboden bei Nord Stream 2, de omstreden tweede Russian gas supply near Duitsland, warvan de aanleg na de invasion in Oekraïne is stopped.
‘Heel Germany was before’
Schröder hamert erop dat zijn handelswijze altijd overeenstemde met de politiek van Duitsland zelf. Germany was decennial long before the present economic ties with Russia. “Al sinds de jaren zestig”, says de oud-bondskanselier. Reducing major economic concerns in the face of a conflict in Europe.
On thanks to America, there were no changes in the way that Russian energy was made in the country for a long time. Russian gas was boiled. “Anyone what ervoor (for Russian gas, red.). Ze went in mee, de afgelopen dertig jaar. The Russians get the money and the gas.” He was wanted, said he was, and he was not there, Gerhard Schröder, lobbying for Russian gas was a point of discussion. “Nobody in the first regering-Merkel shows him iets van, nobody.”
In 2011, 39.9 percent of the gas in Germany was from Russia. Toen twee maanden gegeden de oorlog in Oekraïne began, what dat gestegen around 55 percent.
In the interview, Schröder is the lobbyist. There is an energy embargo that is harmful to the German economy. Also sanctions may not be there: “You know a country like Russia from a long term is not isolated, politically or economically. When deze oorlog voorbij is, we will teruggaan naar zakendoen met Russia.”
Potential personalities need to be stated
In Germany, hij has become pariah because of zijn houding. Zijn voltallige personeel heeft ontslag genomen, including de man the al twintig jaar zijn speeches writing. Schröder heeft het ereburgerschap van zijn stad Hannover teruggegeven – voordat Hannover het van hem zou can afpakken, iets wat voor het laatst postuum was geurd met Adolf Hitler. It is also true that there is a ball club in Borussia Dortmund, after which they had requested an arrangement of poetry.
Schröder blijft zijn vriend verdedigen: “Het beeld dat mensen hebben van Poetin is maar de helft van de waarheid.”