“We would not have done it, it would have been an admission of weakness” from France, according to a specialist

Bertrand Badie, professor emeritus of universities at Sciences Po Paris, believes that this summons is “a blow of pressure, a blow of reciprocity” and “a symbolic blow”, Monday February 5 on franceinfo.

“We wouldn’t have done it, it would have been an admission of weakness” of France, explained Monday February 5 on franceinfo Bertrand Badie, professor emeritus of universities at Sciences Po Paris. The Russian Ambassador to France, Alexey Meshkov, will be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Two French people were killed on Friday during a strike in Beryslav, in southern Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron had denounced a “cowardly and unworthy act”. For Bertrand Badie, this summons “is a blow of pressure, a blow of reciprocity” And “a symbolic blow”. According to this international relations specialist “summoning the ambassador is part of the diplomatic ritual”. Generally on this occasion, very quickly, we talk about “rain and shine”.

franceinfo: Is this a measure of pressure put on Russia by France?

Bertrand Badie: It’s a bit of pressure. It’s a blow of reciprocity, it’s a symbolic blow. It is a blow of reciprocity because we must not forget that ten days ago, it was the French ambassador in Moscow, Mr. Pierre Lévy, who had been summoned by the Russian Ministry of Affairs foreign countries, to indicate Russia’s displeasure at seeing French mercenaries alongside Ukrainian fighters, but also to denounce what was considered a hostile policy of France towards Russia.

Is this a way to return the favor?

So ! We obviously would not have done it, it would have been an admission of weakness or in any case, a sort of withdrawal in the face of Russian pressure. Even beyond this reciprocity, the summoning of the ambassador is part of the diplomatic ritual. It is a way of saying and explaining, of displaying discontent to the world. Generally, there is a whole protocol behind this summons. We are received by a high dignitary, very rarely, the minister. It is very, very rare for a minister to receive an ambassador in this type of approach. It is either the secretary general of the Quai d’Orsay or the political director general, or even the minister’s chief of staff who takes the steps. Generally, after a few humorous remarks, we move on to more general considerations which can even relate to rain and good weather.

Can we get something like this from an appointment?

No, this is not a negotiation. Things are clear. It is not even the privileged place of expression, of dissuasion or of a threat. It’s a way of marking things. The event would have been that there was not this summons. And diplomacy is an art that has been invented over the centuries precisely to serve as a buffer between confrontation and silence. We have a perfect illustration of this.