Spain, Russia Sign Agreement on Anti-terrorism

Well, at least Communist Russia didn’t sign another non-aggression pact with a Bolshevik-hating German dictator. Instead, today’s Russia opted for sheer symbolism in hopes of economic gain.

Spain and Russia signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism, local media reported on Thursday.

The two countries agreed to establish an international fund to help terror victims and share information about potential terrorists. They urged to maintain the role of the United Nations in fighting terrorism with multilateral efforts.

The two countries condemned terrorism in all forms, stressing that any anti-terrorism measures should observe human rights and adhere to international law.

Yes, this is purely window-dressing. Spain, soured on aggressively engaging Islamist terror by the Madrid bombings, is quite willing to go through the motions with strictly police endeavours. Meanwhile, Russis must play the game by harder rules, knowing their soft southern belly is exposed to Islamist possibilities. A pact between two governments saying they oppose terror means little; wake me when a civilized nation actually openly states they support it.

So what is the driving force behind this pact today? Money.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for boosting economic and investment ties between the two countries, saying Russia had large amounts of unexplored energy resources. He invited Spanish businessmen to invest in Russia.

The two countries signed a number of cooperation agreements on agriculture, sport, anti-drug trafficking, tourism and space exploration.

Again, money. Anything about terror is as meaningful as the wrapping paper on a child’s Christmas present — gone and forgotten in mere seconds.