It was with great disappointment that we read Prof Gerrit Olivier’s letter following the embassy’s response to his article (“Alexander Kulyaev’s Claims Are Untrue”, April 2). We never accused the author of being “anti-Russian”, although if his naming Russia “agent provocateur” professes his proclaimed sympathy to my country, then what constitutes negativity? Olivier accuses us of being anti-Western for factually mentioning what he has named “aberrations” (a cruel euphemism for hundreds of thousands of lives lost) in Iraq, Libya and other countries. Does he denounce or support such Western actions? He also tacitly agreed with John Bolton’s position on Russia. Does it mean not associating himself with Bolton? The notions of standard agreements on military-technical co-operation, on one hand, and foreign military bases on the other, do not equate — it is like comparing apples and oranges. As for Russian military bases in Africa (ironically, he mentions Djibouti, which hosts bases for m...
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