Brussels, 05/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 4 June, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, announced that the EU would invite Russia to new consultations on EU-Russia human rights issues, in Brussels on 29 June. He said that he hoped that “next time, Russia will welcome consultations”. He also welcomed the fact that Russia had demonstrated that it “shows readiness for public debate on human rights, as exemplified by the recent hearing in the Russian State Duma. This is recognition that human rights concerns are a matter of direct concern to all. And that is why these issues together with the rule of law and preservation of political rights need to be addressed.”
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has been criticised for the way in which he manages human rights in his country and he has explained that to his knowledge no one could be described as “a political prisoner” in his country. Opposition leaders, however, have released a list of names of people who could be described as such and who are persecuted for their political opinions. On the subject of the repression of demonstrations against Putin's return to power, the Russian president explained that his country's legislation on public gatherings was “democratic” and similar to that in European countries.
On 1 June, EPP MEPs Tunne Kelam, Laima Andrikiene and Bernd Posselt requested that concerns over shortcomings in the rule of law and human rights abuses be discussed at the EU-Russia summit. Andrikiene said: “The EU's dependence on Russian energy exports sometimes makes us hesitate to criticise the Kremlin and underline our concerns. Nevertheless, if the EU is really concerned about its own values, it should not hesitate to highlight these values in discussions” with its partners. (CG/transl.fl)