BRUSSELS, 02/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - As the subjects to be tackled by the Troïka of 5 February attest, and according to the words of a European Commission official: cooperation with Russia “is not one of the simplest things (…), but is certainly one of the most important”. Energy issues, the resolution of the Russian embargo on Polish agricultural products and negotiations for a future partnership agreement come under this heading, but so also do international issues (Middle East, Iran, Kosovo), and the human rights situation in the country, or problems related to the mutual neighbours of the EU and Russia (Southern Caucasus, Moldova, Belarus), which will occupy exchanges in this Troïka, to be attended by the German Foreign Affairs Minister, Franck-Walter Steinmeier, the High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, and the Commissioner in charge of External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. “2007 is an important year for EU-Russia relations, because we must resolve problems and make progress in our joint programme”, the latter stresses in a press release.
If the launch of negotiations for the new partnership and cooperation agreement with Moscow is still struggling to get over the problem of the Russian embargo on Polish agricultural products, the Commission is sure of its facts: as the Polish authorities have now remedied the shortcomings pointed out, the restrictions should now be lifted. The Russian experts will report back further to a series of inspections that it will carry out in parallel to those of the Commission, starting in Poland on Monday, a Commission source stressed. “It is expected that the results of these inspections will show that the Polish authorities have made a great deal of progress”, a source close to the dossier explained, adding that it is “important that we and the Polish party obtain certainty on lifting the embargo within a clear timetable”, thus allowing Poland to subscribe to the negotiation mandate. No decisive announcement is likely to be made before the inspections come to an end. The new partnership agreement will be the main part of energy cooperation between the two partners and “should take its inspiration from the essential principles of the energy charter and guarantee conditions of reciprocity, transparency and non-discrimination in cooperation”, Ms Ferrero-Waldner pointed out. “We are not really in favour of cartels”, the Commission joked, in reference to the words of Vladimir Putin, who told journalists in Moscow that he had found the idea of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khomeini to create a gas OPEC “interesting”. The Russian President then stated that “we do not wish to create a cartel”.
On Kosovo, we will act constructively with Russia before the proposals of Martti Ahtisaari, which were presented to the Serbian and Kosovan representatives on Friday (see other article), arrive before the United Nations Security Council, the Commission explained. In echo of the Russian concerns, it is worth considering that each conflict zone is different and that there can be no single solution which can then be applied to all regions. “We must ensure that there are no differences of opinions between the parties” contributing to Resolution 1244 of the United Nations of 10 June 1999 on international presence in Kosovo, the Commission source added. Lastly, the troïka will focus on the outcomes of the meeting of the Quartet of 2 February in Washington, at which Europeans and Russians were represented, and on the sanctions of the Security Council against Teheran, which have not as yet had the anticipated impact. (ab)