Tiberio Graziani's opinion about visit to Moscow of the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

Radio RAI

During his visit in Moscow, the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has asked Russian President Medvedev tougher economic sanctions against the Iranian regime and not to sell missiles to Tehran,  the powerful SS-300, lethal weapon against aircraft. Vincenzo Mungo of the national radio RAI spoke with Tiberio Graziani, director of the italian magazine of geopolitics "Eurasia".

What results can lead this visit of Netanyahu in Moscow?

The visit is part of the new relations between Russians and Israelis. They highlight the role of Russia in the Near and Middle Eastern game, played until now only by Washington and London. Specifically, the visit can only lead to very limited and partial results.

Netanayahu has asked Moscow for adopting sanctions against Iran that mainly affect the economy, and also asked to block the sale to Tehran of the SS-300 anti-aircraft missiles that would be very effective. Do you believe that Netanayahu  will achieve such a result?

I do not think that he can get results like this. However, we can affirm that, to those which appear ,on the diplomatic side, some vague concessions of the Russian to the demands of Tel Aviv, correspond, on the  military side, one certainty: the delivery of Russian missiles to the Iranians. This provision has at least two purposes: 1) to rebalance as much as possible the balance of power between Tehran and Tel Aviv and 2) to stress the importance of the presence of Moscow on the Near and Middle East chessboard. In summary, we can say that the traditional and well established Tel Aviv-Washington axis is opposed now by the new one, Eurasian, formed by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.

Then, in your view, will the Russian government never agree to go to the end against Iran concerning its nuclear program?

No, I think that Moscow will always remain a valuable partner for Tehran.

EURASIA - Revista di studi geopolitici
Center's news, 17.02.2010