Brussels, 18/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, EU 27 foreign ministers said that the main objective of the EU-Russia summit should be to build up trust with Moscow in view of developing a genuine EU-Russia partnership based on interdependence, reliability, predictability and transparency. The summit will take place on Thursday and Friday 21-22 May in Khabarovsk, Siberia. Meeting at an External Relations Council in Brussels, ministers held an exchange of views on relations, which according to a working paper submitted to ministers, have been “severely tested” recently, particularly during the gas conflict at the beginning of the year and with the war in Georgia in 2008. According to ministers, the financial and economic crisis makes greater cooperation between the two blocks even more urgent. The working paper also explains that the EU is calling on the strategic partnership to be based on “mutual interests and common commitments to democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law”. The document also stipulates that “the rule of law must not only be respected but actively defended and promoted”.
The Russian delegation at the summit will be headed by President Dimitri Medvedev and that of the EU by Czech President Vaclav Klaus. As host, Russia has proposed the following agenda:
Economic and financial crisis. Ministers agreed that on this point, the EU will essentially have two messages to convey: European and Russian responses to the crisis will have to be closely coordinated and Russia should abstain from any protectionist measures. The EU is prepared to help Russia modernise and diversify its economy, as well as finalise its WTO accession negotiations. On this last subject, certain points of friction still need resolving (the question of Russian taxes on wood exports, the health and phytosanitary chapter and Russian import taxes, particularly on cars) and the EU expects Russia to reaffirm its commitment to rapidly resolving these pending questions.
Four “common areas”. The EU is generally satisfied with the progress achieved so far in the implementation of the four spaces (economy, freedom/justice/security, external security, research/education). Energy security: the summit's objective will be to confirm an agreement on the early warning mechanism for power cuts. The Europeans consider that this summit should also confirm that ongoing negotiations on the new partnership agreement, as well as the future negotiations on a free-trade agreement (after Russia has joined the WTO) will tackle long term energy relations between the two partners. European leaders are also expected to underline their support for the new partnership agreement to set out binding legal provisions based on the relationship of energy inter-dependency and mutual interest between the EU and Russia that enshrine the principles in the Energy Charter Treaty and its transit protocol. The summit will also provide an opportunity to underscore Moscow's commitment to maintain the transit of oil supplies through the Dhruzba pipeline. In the context of tackling global warming, the EU, which is seeking more active cooperation with Russia, will at the summit highlight the need to conclude a comprehensive and balanced international agreement in December in Copenhagen. In connection with the freedom/security/justice space, the EU will particularly seek to obtain indications from President Medvedev on “where he sees the judicial reform leading to”. The EU27 will also reiterate their concern about human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Russia. The EU also believes that there are opportunities for increased cooperation from Russia with Europol and Eurojust, on the condition that Russian legislation on personal data protection complies with standards at the Council of Europe. The summit preparation document stipulates that dialogue on the visa-free travel regime remains a “long-term perspective”. The EU will also request that Russia rapidly concludes ongoing bilateral negotiations with Lithuania and Poland in order to facilitate local border traffic. The EU says that Russia is also expected to begin demarcation of its border with Latvia and Lithuania. External security: the EU will call on Russia to improve dialogue and cooperation “as regards the improvement of security and stability in the common neighbourhood”.
European security. It is more than likely that at the summit the Russian president, Mr Medvedev will raise the question of his recent proposal for implementing a “new security architecture” in Europe. The EU will very cautiously reply that it is in principle “open” to discuss new ideas as part of a “transparent and open process”, while emphasising that the OSCE should remain the main forum for debating this kind of issue. In the meantime, the EU will insist that all parties must continue to respect their respective international commitments.
International questions. The agenda includes a discussion on Georgia, Moldova, the Middle East peace process, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. (H.B./E.H./transl.rh)