Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 15
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
The main objectives of terrorists in Europe are France and Great Britain, Vladimir Yevseyev, the Russian military expert, the head of the Eurasian integration and SCO development department of the CIS Institute, said in an interview with Trend Nov. 14.
"If we assess the threats from the Islamic State (IS) and the affiliated groups, two EU member states - France and Great Britain are mainly combating the IS today," he said. "France is fighting in Syria, while Great Britain - in Iraq. Therefore, the strikes will be made in France and Great Britain. France is weaker."
"The British foreign intelligence service MI-6 is stronger than the French intelligence service," he said. "Moreover, Great Britain is an isolated country and it is easier for it to control the influx of people."
"I think that Great Britain can take even more stringent measures to filter people entering the country," he said. "Therefore, London is more protected from terrorist attacks, although there is no guarantee."
Yevseyev said that the events in Paris showed the helplessness of the French intelligence services, stipulated by their very high hope for the US intelligence services.
"In general, the French intelligence services hope that the close cooperation with the US intelligence agencies is a kind of guarantee that they will be able to prevent such events," he said. "However, this is not so because the US has failed to prevent a terrorist attack in Boston and has no qualification to support the French intelligence services."
"Following the attack on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris, the radicals felt that they could make strikes with impunity," he said.
"The radicals felt the helplessness of the French intelligence services," he said. "This is a reason to continue its activity and give a lesson to Europe and the US. If France does not change its intelligence services, the terrorist attacks in France can reoccur."
"France must rely on other partners to ensure its security, in particular, to combat the anti-terrorist coalition," he said. "France tries to cooperate with some Arabian countries in this issue. They often finance the radical Islamism and terrorism at the level of various funds, rather than at the state level. In this regards, it will be useful for France to cooperate with the Russian intelligence services, having great experience in combating terrorism on its own territory."
"Russia can be called as an enemy many times, but it will not be safer in Paris," he said. "For example, if one starts to determine the real terrorist and radical organizations, such as the "Al Nusra" front - a subdivision of "Al Qaeda" in Syria, one can properly position itself in the world and combat real threats."
"Following the recent events, France would be more receptive to the Russian initiatives in Syria, in particular, to determine the opposition, which is the most acceptable for the negotiations," he said.
"France must revise the policy towards the Middle East and North Africa to ensure its security," he said.
"Very active interference in the affairs of other countries not only aggravates the problem of refugees, but also leads to the desire to take revenge on France on its own territory," he said. "This is a consequence of the erroneous foreign policy pursued by the current political leadership of France."
"It is necessary to reform the Schengen area to ensure security in Europe," he said. "In its current form, it does not ensure safety because both external and internal borders of the Schengen area pose a threat. It is easy enough to transport the radicals through these borders."
The expert also said that the consequence of the recent terrorist attacks will be the intensification of the right-wing parties across Europe.
"However, France is at the cutting edge," he said. "Various terrorist attacks are regularly held and a large number of immigrants from North Africa live in France. "This trend is obvious here."
Numerous terrorist attacks were conducted in Paris on Nov. 13-14. Four gunmen systematically slaughtered at least 89 young people attending a rock concert at the Bataclan music hall.
Some 40 more people were killed in five other attacks in the Paris region, including an apparent double suicide bombing outside the national stadium where French president Hollande and German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier were watching a friendly soccer international.
129 people have died in the aftermath of a string of terror attacks in Paris, while 99 out of 352 injured are in a critical condition, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins stated during a news briefing following a string of terror attacks in France's capital.
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