Russia-EU new strategic partnership
Russia and EU held a summit on 26th and 27th June. President of Russia Medvedev opened the summit. Two years ago a Russia-EU summit took place in Sochi on the Black Sea coast, last year it took place in Samara region. This year the summit was held in another of Russia's fast-growing regions-the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District which is Russia's biggest oil and electricity producing region. The venue speaks volume of Russia's energy resources and supplies to Europe. President Medvedev reportedly said: " It is here that the energy river that flow to Europe take their source and it is here that a large part of the Russian Federation's budget revenue is generated." EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana reportedly disclosed the main agenda of the Summit of this year. He said: "The Summit will see the launch of negotiations for the new EU-Russia Agreement. In addition to EU-Russia relations, a number of international issues of common interest will also be discussed, in particular Iran and the Middle East, as well the situation in Georgia and Moldova, and on going violence in Afghanistan". Dynamics of Russia-EU Relations
Russia and European Union need each other. Europe gets one quarter of its requirement of oil and gas from Russia and Germany alone depends on Russia for 30% of its energy supplies. Russia is the EU's third biggest trading partner. Russia, likewise, depends on European market and technology. Half of all Russian exports go to the EU. Russia needs enormous investments to modify its pipelines and other infrastructure. Technology is abundantly available in Europe for Russia. The European Commission estimates Russia will need to invest in excess of 700 billion euros ($905 billion) into its energy sector between now and 2020. Furthermore Russia's long-delayed effort to join the World Trade Organization could be realized with the cooperation with the EU. There are four major issues, among others, that divide them: (a) Expansion of NATO eastwards bordering Russia (b) Deployment of US missile defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland (c) Kosovo recognition of EU and (d) US-EU growing influence in Ukraine and Georgia, backyard of Russia. Speaking in Berlin on 5th June, - on his first trip to the West since becoming Russian President, he rued a "shrinking of mutual understanding". Issues such as the US missile defence shield and NATO enlargement eastwards have dogged Russo-European relations. He even questioned the continuing existence of NATO and its policy in the current global situation. Russia dismisses the argument that the U.S. missile defense system in Central Europe is designed to protect U.S. and European national security interests. Russia does not see these plans make any political or military sense. Since there no ICBMs in countries that the US describes 'axis of evil', so Russia poses question against what countries this system would be used, implying that they could be used against Russia. To put into a perspective of Russian military power against the US, as of January 1, 2006, Russia possessed 927 nuclear delivery vehicles and 4,279 nuclear warheads for strategic offensive weapons, while the United States owns 1,255 and 5,966, respectively, according to the Russian Defense Ministry On Kosovo issue, Russia vehemently opposes its independence and recognition by major European powers, and continues to claim Kosovo as a Serbian province, reflecting its historical ties with Orthodox Christian Serbia. Russia considers that Kosovo's independence will boost the ethnic demands for greater autonomy or independence. It argues that recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence would legitimatize the doctrine of imposing solution to ethnic conflicts. Every would-be ethnic or religious separatist across Europe and around the world has been provided with a tool kit on how to achieve recognition. Ukraine is caught between the West and Russia. Georgia leans toward the West but borders on Russia's soft underbelly. The uprisings like those in Ukraine, in Georgia in 2003 and in Kyrgyzstan in 2005, Russia suspects, are due to certain forces in the West trying to weaken Russia's influence with its neighbors. Russia has not been comfortable with the growing influence of the West in Georgia and Ukraine, its traditional backyard. George Soros, American billionaire, in his book " The Age of Fallibility" (2006), concedes that his Foundations "do not hesitate to get involved in the internal affairs of countriesafter all democracy is an internal affairbut they do it as the citizens of the country concerned". Boris Berezovsky, the Russian billionaire, now living in London, has admitted to the media sometime ago that he also tried to wean Ukraine and Georgia away from the influence of " Putin's Russia" by pouring money to individuals and organisations in those countries. EU-Russia Summit:2008
The start of negotiations has been long delayed, amid strained ties under President Vladimir Putin. The new President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to hold the summit. Prime Minister of Slovenia and President-in-office of the European Council Janez Jansa, in response to the President speech, reportedly has said that one of European Union's priorities is intercultural dialogue and EU has been working to ensure that the message sent out by the summit. The chairman of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barrosa , ( a former Prime Minister of Portugal), has said that the summit is taking place at a time of renewal. The EU is committed to joint efforts to modernize and innovate in the face of global challenges and Russia's membership to WTO should be the next important step in developing trade and economic relations with EU. He further has pointed out that the summit should provide a chance to work effectively on issues concerning the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear issue and Afghanistan. It is reported the European Union has raised the issue of Russia's relations with Georgia at the EU-Russia summit. The level of attention to Georgia within the EU is unprecedented and many West Europeans who previously looked away from the situation in Abkhazia are now seriously talking about it. Russia's entrenchment in Abkhazia appears to be the overall post-Soviet international order. Analysts say Russia has firmed up its position on this issue against Georgia in the immediate run-up to the summit. Rather than trying to defuse the tension, Moscow has chosen to keep it high. At the same time, it has called for discussing the issues with Georgia on a bilateral basis, so as to minimize EU involvement. Negotiations on the new agreement underpinning EU-Russia relations are scheduled to be launched at the beginning of July, if overall Russia and EU can see eye to eye at this Summit to replace the 1997 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The EU and Russia highlighted the importance of direct contacts between citizens as a basis for the strategic partnership. The summit has provided a good opportunity a dialogue on all strategic issues concerning development of relations between Russia and the EU. This summit has paved the way to review many positions and outline new areas for the future development of relations including coordinating efforts to counter the threats and respond to challenges affecting the international situation today. There is a risk that Russia will distance itself from 'Europe' in its social and political development if EU does not provide Russia to play a role in Europe and international affairs, commensurating its economic and military power.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments