Interview Part 1
February 2, 2018
Professor Ivo Hristov is one of the most famous Bulgarian sociologists and political analysts. He’s been a member of the Bulgarian Parliament since the elections in 2017. SouthFront’s Viktor Stoilov sat down with him to talk about the situation on the Balkans and the Chinese interests in Syria and the Middle East.
Professor Hristov, let’s talk about the situation on the Balkans and more specifically the anti-government protests in Albania. Who is behind those protests? They seem to be very well-organized which rarely happens without an external help.
First, there is ground for such protests. The people there are protesting against the corruption in the government and its connection with organized crime groups. These reasons can be easily used for instigating protests in every Balkan country because the problems are similar almost everywhere there. I can’t say who’s behind them but there’s surely objective reasons for them.
In addition, a lot of “easy money” flowed in Albania especially from the Albanian diaspora from outside, mainly in sectors such as tourism which might be a reason for such protests. But again, there are objective reasons for such protests.
We’re seeing that Western Macedonia and especially the area around Ohrid is literally being bought out by Albanians. Can we expect a new ethnic conflict there?
No, the ethnic conflict in the past was instigated from some external forces mainly from the West and the objective was to remove Macedonia from the sphere of influence of Serbia and to turn Macedonia [the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia] in the country which it is today – a Western political, military and economic protectorate.
There’s a historically planted conflict between the expanding demographically Albanian population and the so-called Macedonians which, I think, might end up with an ethnic cleansing and a complete removal of the Slavic elements west of the Vardar. The process is in an advanced phase and that’s why the situation is such – former Bulgarian towns like Tetovo, Debar, Gostivar, Struga and others are completely Albanized. Struga, the town of the Miladinovi brothers, is now completely Albanian. The villages around the Ohrid Lake are also Albanized, only with the exception of some in the South-Eastern part of the lake. The Albanian factor doesn’t need an armed conflict, they’ll achieve their goals in a natural demographic way. The same could be said for Skopje which is now in half Albanian. The Albanians are officially stating the Skopje will be the capital of Albanian Macedonia.
Here we should probably mention Serbians. Not even 20 years have passed since NATO bombed Belgrade, and yet it seems like they are heading towards the EU and the so-called Euro-Atlantic values.
They don’t have a choice. Even though it is believed that Serbia is the main Russian ally on the Balkans (there are just no other left), due to the weak foreign policy of Moscow, including the one on the Balkans, Russia lost traditionally pro-Russian countries and nationals such as Montenegro, Macedonia and Bulgaria where it all started. This is just the outcome of the ongoing process. The reality is such that Serbia will enter the Western sphere of influence, not in NATO due to the still recent trauma of the aggression against them. But it’s just a matter of time for them for them to enter the sphere of influence of the West.
Does Russia, right now, have the necessary resources to counter the US influence on the Balkans?
Most probably not. Russia has taken a defensive stance and is forced to defend its own territories and interests. It’s obvious that the Western elites have made a decision to execute the “Final Solution” (referring to the German one) to the Russian problem. They’ve declared war on Russia on every possible direction – economic, political, cultural, ideological and, as we see now, even in sports and so on. The only thing stopping the West from starting a direct military confrontation with Russia is the fact that they have a vast nuclear arsenal.
It’s a public secret that the Balkans are a center of Al-Qaeda-linked groups. What’s their purpose and who is behind them? For what purposes can they be used for?
First, I’m not sure if there are groups linked to Al-Qaeda as I don’t know what’s in reality Al-Qaeda as strangely as it may sound. Al-Qaeda is a very convenient label for any kind of Islamist groups and creations, and with a very unclear and interesting origins. Therefore, it’s most probably a lab-created structure with a goal of being a scarecrow for the ordinary Western people in order for them to be trained in the “right” direction.
As to if there are Islamist groups on the Balkans, it’s more than obvious that there are, and especially in the ex-Yugoslavian region – Bosna, Kosovo, Sandžak, and Western Macedonia. However, that’s not the case in Albania where the religion is not so strong and cannot be used for the mobilization of large masses of people, contrary to the Albanian population in the other former Yugoslavian countries. There are serious cultural differences between the Albanians in Albania and the ones outside of the country.
https://southfront.org/interview-professor-ivo-hristov-situation-balkans-part-1/
Interview Part 2
February 9, 2018
Professor Ivo Hristov: Turkey is doing the dirty work of Russia in Afrin
Professor Hristov, let’s talk a little bit about the situation in Syria. However, let’s go beyond the mainstream questions and topics and focus on a key player whose interests are being pushed without anyone noticing. What are the interests of China in Syria and the Middle East?
China has great economic interest in Syria, as it plays a big role in the new Chinese Silk Road passing through Aleppo and the coastline on the Mediterranean. Syria is important as a geographical location. China doesn’t have such a strong military and political force in Syria as for example Russia and Iran, Turkey and the United States. The Chinese interests are being pushed through Iran on the battlefield. China is interested greatly in resolving the situation in Syria and they’ve sent 5000 units from their special forces to Damascus to help with the liberation of Eastern Ghouta which is directly connected with resolving their problems in Chinese Turkestan.
Just like water is being absorbed in the desert sands, Chinese social and economic structures, as well as military and intelligence forces, have entered all the countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa from Djibouti to Morocco and even Angola in the South from where they’re getting important resources. Iran is very important for China as they’re a key element in the Chinese Silk Road as well as 40% of the Chinese oil imports come from there.
In this case, does the North–South Transport Corridor project go against the Chinese interests?
Yes, it’s against the Chinese interests, however this corridor cannot be built because brake the geopolitical and military spine of Russia which won’t happen. China is using the Russian military to cover their back while pushing their economic, political and military interest around the world.
The Chinese strategy is completely opposite to the Russian one. They want to achieve their goals using little steps toward the ultimate goal, and for now it’s successful. I think, however, that the main geopolitical players, mainly the United States and to some degree Russia, have figured their strategy out. For now, China doesn’t want to go in direct confrontation with the United States because, most probably, they don’t feel prepared enough to do it. They want to put the hegemon in a situation where it’s going to be too late to stop them. In other words, in a hidden way to gain power and achieve their goals. And they already have results doing this.
Let’s change the subject a little bit. Did Russia betray the Kurds in Afrin?
No. The way the question is asked is incorrect. The operation in Afrin is excellent for the Russian interest as the Kurds are playing as the proxy army of the United States and its interests. The creation of a big Kurdish state means creating a big client state of the US and would put, in chess terms, 5 players in check – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia and Turkey. If you allow me to make that analogy, the Kurds are playing the role in the Middle East which the Albanians play on the Balkans – with only one subject to control 5 other players.
The Kurds trusted their US mentors too much and burnt their hand. The first time it happened in Kirkuk where the Iranians clearly showed who is in charge there. The same is happening right now in Afrin where the Russians are pushing their interest using the Turkish army. That way they are accomplishing a bunch of goals:
First, Turkey is doing the dirty work of Russia by removing the US military and geopolitical interest from the region.
Second, groups who are disloyal to the Syrian government are put in check and these territories will be to some extent given back under the control of Assad.
Third, while everyone is looking at Afrin, without notice, the Syrian army is destroying, take notice, the pro-Turkish groups in Idlib which is actually the much bigger problem. You have there about 30 000 jihadists who were concentrated there from all part of Syria and are now being destroyed by General al-Hassan and the Tiger Forces.
So for now, this is a successful game of chess for Russia and the talks on the media are only for public use. Some sources say that the operation in Afrin was coordinated in Moscow by the head of the Turkish forces at least a month prior to the start of the operation. In addition, the whole operation was first prepared by the heads of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Sochi.
Will the US try to interfere in the process?
If it happens, this will be great for Russia because this will mean a direct confrontation between the US and Turkey. The bigger the clash and tensions between the US and Turkey are, the better for Russia.
Could this happen in the following months?
It has already happened on the battlefield. Turkish and US forces have already clashed in Syria. The question is will this happen on a regular basis or it’s just going to be sporadic fighting.
Does that bust the myth that NATO is a unified body?
It’s early to conclude this, but it’s clear that tensions are heating up. The Turkish political and military ship is slowly but gradually sailing away from the Western block. Turkey is starting to play the game of its own geopolitical interests which doesn’t always match the ones of the West. Russia is using this and is trying to make the gap larger and it seems to me that, for now, that they’re succeeding.
Last question very quickly: What is the role of the unexpected candidacy for President of Grudinin by the CPRF? What goals are set?
The idea is to dynamize the otherwise predetermined presidential elections in Russia and an attempt to get more political ground, but nothing more. The model of guided sovereign democracy, as invented by Surkov, doesn’t allow any mistakes to be made in the system.
Emma Olive 