German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants Russia to be more involved in Europe’s security.

“Russia is also part of Europe,” said Merkel, speaking at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy on Saturday. “Therefore, relations with Russia are of extraordinary importance” (our translation).

Merkel called upon Europe to intensify the dialogue already begun by the nato-Russia Council.

Merkel also said that the European Union should pay attention to Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s proposal for a regional pact for Europe that included Moscow. Speaking in Berlin last June, Medvedev suggested a “a regional pact, based on the principles of the UN Charter which would clarify, finally, the meaning of the power factor in relations within the Euro-Atlantic community,” according to Xinhua News Agency.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has already endorsed Medvedev’s proposal, saying in November last year, “We could meet in mid-2009 to lay the foundations of what could possibly be a future pan-European security system.”

In a joint article last week, Merkel and Sarkozy wrote in Le Monde, “We want a closer political and security dialogue between the EU and Russia, enabling her to play a more proactive role in the Euro-Atlantic security area.”

At least six times in the last 240 years, Germany has first made a pact with Russia to secure its eastern border before embarking on aggressive foreign policy elsewhere. As American power wanes, and as the threat of radical Islam rises, look for Germany and the rest of Europe to come to some sort of understanding with Russia so the Continent can aim its political firepower elsewhere.

Already, Russia and Germany are colluding. For more information on recent developments in Russian-German cooperation, see our article “Russia Strikes, and Wins—Again!”