Stockholm, 23/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Friday, Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson told the press that the EU Heads of State and Government had, in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the fringe of the European Council of Stockholm, expressed their "concern" regarding the situation in Chechnya, while at the same time emphasizing their willingness to integrate Russia in European structures (see other article). The Fifteen and the Commission had talks with Mr. Putin from around 11.30 a.m., and continued discussions with him over lunch, whereas at the same time the Foreign Ministers were having lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivano.
Questioned by the press over the Chechen crisis, Putin said: "we share" the concerns of the EU, and there are "humanitarian problems to settle", like that of the return of refugees. "We are prepared to cooperate with international organisations to that end," the Russian President stated. "The republic's institutional structures need bolstering, the economic situation needs redressing and jobs need to be created, as unemployment is an important factor in the development of crime", he added, stating that this was an "enormous" task that required "financial support". Currently, there are no more military operations in Chechnya, said Mr. Putin, recalling that Russia had withdrawn a good part of its troops but retained the necessary number in Chechnya to keep control over the situation. He then tried to "draw a parallel with the current situation in Macedonia, stating that, when Russia had left Chechnya, in 1996, "this vacuum had been exploited by nationalists, terrorists and religious extremists". Today, we are seeing the same type of situation in Macedonia, and those attacking Macedonia "are not rebels but terrorists, that need disarming, if we want to ensure the region's security", said the Russian President.
"I do not find that that is the 'most exact comparison' that can be made," commented the European Commissioner for external relations, Chris Paten, answering the press over the parallel made by President Putin between Chechnya and Macedonia