General Cuong: Vietnam - Germany relations are extremely good.

(Baonghean.vn)- After the election in Germany, Major General Le Van Cuong affirmed that the Vietnam - Germany relationship will continue to develop in depth.

Associate Professor, Dr. Major General Le Van Cuong at the studio of Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Nhat Minh

Reporter:Major General Le Van Cuong, the German parliamentary election just took place on September 24. Can you assess the impacts of the current European context on this German election?

Major General Le Van Cuong:The Federal Republic of Germany is considered a pillar of Europe in two aspects. Firstly, Germany is the largest economy on the continent. Secondly, it is a large economy but has developed steadily over the past decade. The German development model has guiding value for Europe. Germany is a country that has overcome crises and continues to demonstrate its role and position. Meanwhile, many European countries are deeply mired in crisis, especially Southern European countries, typically Austria.

Through the election, it can be seen that the European context has affected Germany in two ways. The positive aspect is that the German Federation entered the election in a European context with some favorable points. In 2017, there were a number of elections in Europe that made a special mark.

The Dutch election in April saw a struggle between two schools of thought, the one that wanted to keep the Netherlands in the European Union and the one that wanted to take the Netherlands out of the European Union. The victory went to the forces that supported the Netherlands staying in Europe. Then, in May, the election took place in France. All of Europe held its breath between the two candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Candidate Marine Le Pen advocated taking France out of the European Union. If Le Pen won, Europe would likely fall apart. But this election ended with the victory of Emmanuel Macron, the candidate that supported France staying in the European Union. These were very favorable conditions for the election in Germany, especially favorable for Angela Merkel, who has a view of strengthening the European Union.

Another advantage is that although Britain has left the European Union, the remaining 27 countries are showing solidarity, especially unity in negotiating for Britain to leave Europe.

Besides, there are some difficulties for Germany: although far-right parties, populist and nationalist parties... did not win, compared to previous elections, this force is growing rapidly, even though they have not yet taken power.

Another difficulty is that the migrant crisis has deepened the conflict within the European Union. Some countries openly oppose the decision to distribute migrants according to the population and GDP ratio of each country, in which countries such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland... strongly oppose. Another significant difficulty is that the eurozone economy, although overcoming the crisis, still faces many difficulties.

Reporter:Public opinion says that German voters were very indifferent to the parliamentary election on September 24, they thought it was a boring election. What is your assessment of this issue, Major General?

Major General Le Van Cuong:Most observers believe that the recent German parliamentary election was extremely boring. Simply because before the election, voters almost certainly knew that Angela Merkel would win. The remaining five official political parties could not put forward a figure that satisfied the German voters' demands. No face presented a more convincing development path than Angela Merkel. So whether they voted or not, they knew that Merkel would win. This is also a type of social crisis.

In 2016 in the United States, America fell into a great political crisis, American voters lost faith in the current path, they needed change. The American elite voted for Donald Trump even though they did not believe in him, but they voted for Trump because they needed change. Last May, France also fell into crisis, France needed change and people elected Emmanuel Macron.

Germany is facing a new crisis, a crisis in a stable environment. Germans demand change, but there is no party that can satisfy the voters. German voters, despite enjoying economic and social achievements, need change.

Reporter:In a broader sense, the European Union is facing many challenges. According to the Major General, what challenges will Angela Merkel have to deal with in her fourth term?

Major General Le Van Cuong:In my opinion, there are two types of challenges that Angela Merkel's government must face and overcome.

The first type is situational and temporal, that is the issue of immigration. The challenge for Germany is to reduce this issue to a normal level. In the next 4 years, to maintain Germany's role as a pillar in the European Union, Mrs. Merkel needs to adjust. In recent years, Germany and France have put forward rigid principles, in the coming time they will certainly have to adjust, to soften to create consensus.

The second type of challenge is a long-term challenge on two fronts. One is the eurozone, if it does not overcome this difficulty, the European Union is at risk of disintegration. Whether Ms. Merkel wants it or not, she must reorganize the eurozone governance system. This is a fundamental, long-term difficulty. Another challenge is to deal with extreme nationalism and populism. Elements demanding “secession” from Europe, in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, etc., are growing.

I think in the next 4 years, the two pillars of the European Union, Germany and France, will overcome the above challenges.

Reporter:How does the Major General summarize the relationship between Germany and Vietnam?

Major General Le Van Cuong:The relationship between Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany has developed well over the past 40 years. Regardless of which party is in charge in Germany, the relationship remains stable. This relationship is in line with the interests of Vietnam and Germany, in line with the trend of EU and ASEAN cooperation. Germany is a pillar of Europe, Europe has a need to expand cooperation with ASEAN. Vietnam itself also has a need to cooperate with Germany and the EU. That is the backdrop, whether we want to continue to strengthen it or not. Both Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany wish to develop this relationship better and better, bringing more practical results to both sides.

Reporter:Sincerely thank Major General Le Van Cuong.

Performed by: Chi Linh Son