Fri | Mar 29, 2024

‘We are a big country’

Russian ambassador dismisses isolation threat by West, cools anxiety over Windalco

Published:Monday | February 28, 2022 | 12:11 AMDavid Salmon/Gleaner Writer
Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Sergey Petrovich, speaks to Gleaner journalists at his residence on Friday.
Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Sergey Petrovich, speaks to Gleaner journalists at his residence on Friday.

The Russian Government has urged Jamaicans to remain calm about the future of UC Rusal, seeking to give the assurance that sanctions imposed by the West over the military conflict in Ukraine were unlikely to undermine the operation of its bauxite assets on the island.

Previous financial penalties have been imposed on the company because of its link with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, but those troubles were eased after the oligarch offloaded much of his interests in order for a freeze to be lifted.

UC Rusal (Windalco) operates the Ewarton and Kirkvine refineries and has bauxite mine holdings in the countries heartland. It employs an estimated 1,200 workers directly and 600 third-party contract employees.

Sergey Petrovich, Russian ambassador to Jamaica, said in a Gleaner interview that it is too early to determine the impact of the latest round of sanctions on Russian interests in the region. Those penalties, sparked by the invasion of Ukraine, include the closure of European airpace to Russian planes, the shutout of Moscow to the global payments system, and the freezing of commercial and personal assets, including President Vladimir Putin’s.

“We cannot assess at the moment the consequences of the latest sanctions, but what I can say is that Russia aims to continue the work of UC Rusal on the island,” said Petrovich.

The current international climate has not dampened the confidence of the ambassador as he said that negotiations are ongoing with the Government to continue “probably our most successful, flagship project of the bilateral economic cooperation with Jamaica”.

Even though Jamaica has joined the chorus of governments and CARICOM in condemning the actions of the Putin administration, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Kamina Johnson Smith indicated during a press conference on Saturday that the question of sanctions has not been discussed at the regional level.

NO EQUIVOCATION

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is on the agenda for the upcoming CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting slated to begin on Tuesday in Belize.

Johnson Smith said that Kingston would be guided by the decisions taken by the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly with regard to sanctions.

Jamaica co-sponsored a draft resolution condemning the invasion that was considered by the United Nations Security Council.

“There is no equivocation about where Jamaica stands on this issue,” she said.

The foreign minister said that the Holness administration had not summoned the Russian ambassador. Pressed on whether Petrovich’s expulsion was on the cards, Johnson Smith said that “no decision has been taken in respect to the Russian mission here”.

Petrovich insisted that he was not anticipating being given the could shoulder by his diplomatic colleagues in Jamaica and doesn’t expect fewer invitations on the cocktail circuit.

“I think it is very difficult to isolate Russia. We are a very big country. If you see how our leaders meet every day with other world leaders. Yes, the situation is tense, of course, and I think that both parties want to find a solution,” said Petrovich.

Ukrainian and Russian authorities have preliminarily agreed to opening talks, which might be held by both countries’ delegations on the Belarusian border.

In the meantime, Petrovich wants to build on the bilateral ties between Jamaica and Russia, which so far, have been concentrated in the mining industry, technical training, and the provision of scholarships.

“I have worked here with a very strong desire to make as much as possible for the development of our bilateral relations with Jamaica because we consider Jamaica as our reliable and promising partner in the Caribbean,” he said.

david.salmon@gleanerjm.com