Putin's Munich speech still relevant — Austrian ex-foreign minister
Putin stressed then that the unipolar model was unstable, which was proved right by the 2008 global financial crisis that originated in the United States, she noted.
The speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Munich security conference in February 2007 is still relevant now, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said in an interview with Sputnik.
Fifteen years ago today Putin delivered his famous speech at the Munich security conference, in which he harshly criticised U.S. foreign policy and the idea of unipolar world order.
He spoke out against NATO expansion and deployment of U.S. missile defence systems in Eastern Europe.
"This speech is very relevant today. It will be great if some government officials took 30 minutes to review it because it shows how long.
"Russia is waiting, how long certain things are 'swallowed down.' This is before the declaration of independence of Kosovo with all its dubious aspects of international law.
"Before the so-called humanitarian interventions of Europe in North Africa, in the Middle East. Much is evolved since then, like a snowball turning into an avalanche,'' Kneissl said.
Putin stressed then that the unipolar model was unstable, which was proved right by the 2008 global financial crisis that originated in the United States, she noted.
It was China with its investment and trade that helped overcome the crisis, showing that the world should no longer rely on the U.S.' economic model, Kneissl added.
The desire of the United States to maintain the status quo and its leading position in the unipolar world also led to the current unstable geopolitical situation, the former top diplomat said.
Putin also was right about the failure of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe to act impartially, as all its missions are one-sided, "carried out 'east of Vienna' and not 'west of Vienna','' according to Kneissl.
"There are no OSCE missions in Catalonia, Scotland, in the case of Canada and local indigenous peoples.
"This is the issue that I myself have repeatedly publicly criticised because with this approach you hurt yourself,'' she said.
The Munich Conference was founded in 1963 as a meeting of representatives of the defence departments of NATO member countries.
Now it is an international discussion forum for politicians, diplomats, military, businessmen, scientists and public figures from dozens of countries.
The conference was traditionally held in the Bayerischer Hof hotel in the historic centre of the Bavarian capital.