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MEPs urge Russia to lessen pressure on ex-Soviet republics

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  • MEPs urge Russia to lessen pressure on ex-Soviet republics

    New Europe
    Sept 14 2013


    MEPs urge Russia to lessen pressure on ex-Soviet republics

    15/09/2013 - 12:39am


    STRASBOURG - MEPs debated the pressure that has been placed by Russia
    on countries to the east of the EU not to sign up to EU agreements at
    the forthcoming Vilnius summit. On 12 September, they passed a
    resolution saying that Moscow must respect the right of the EU's
    eastern neighbours to choose whether to enter into association
    agreements with Brussels.

    For example, Russia must refrain from exerting pressure, such as its
    recent trade sanctions against Ukraine and Moldova and threats to
    Armenia, to dissuade them from signing or initialling deals with the
    EU at this November's Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, the text
    added.

    The resolution firmly rejects the idea that the EU's and Russia's
    relations with Eastern Partnership countries can be treated as a
    `zero-sum game'. Instead of using the region's frozen conflicts in its
    geopolitical and economic interests, Russia should co-operate and
    contribute constructively to the region's economic and political
    stability, the text added.

    MEPs also encourage the Eastern partnership countries to pursue
    preparations for the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit and `not
    succumb to pressure' from Russia. They reaffirm their strongest
    support for initialling or signing the agreements at the Vilnius
    Summit with those Eastern Partnership countries "which are ready and
    willing to do so".

    MEP Pawel Kowal chaired the parliament's delegation for relations with
    Ukraine. At the debate on 11 September, EU Commissioner for
    Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fuele criticised Russia
    for trying to block closer co-operation between the EU and members of
    its Eastern Partnership. `Let me be clear: the development of the
    Eurasian Economic Union project must respect our partners' sovereign
    decisions. Any threats from Russia linked to the possible signing of
    agreements with the European Union are unacceptable. This applies to
    all forms of pressure, including: the possible misuse of energy
    pricing; artificial trade obstacles such as import bans of dubious WTO
    compatibility and cumbersome customs procedures; military cooperation
    and security guarantees: and the instrumentalisation of protracted
    conflicts,' Fuele said.

    `This is not how international relations should function on our
    continent in the twenty-first century. Such actions clearly breach the
    principles to which all European states have subscribed. In the
    Helsinki Principles of the OSCE we have committed to respect each
    country's `right freely to define and conduct as it wishes its
    relations with other States in accordance with international law'. The
    European Union will support and stand by those who are subject to
    undue pressures,' the Commissioner said.

    `Let me emphasise that AA/DCFTAs are not conceived at Russia's
    expense. On the contrary, Russia will also benefit greatly from the
    integration of the Eastern Partnership countries into the wider
    European economy. Our vision is that these agreements should
    contribute in the long term to the eventual creation of a common
    economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok, based on WTO rules,' Fuele
    said.

    `So we encourage our partners to deepen their ties with Russia, as we
    do ourselves, but in a way which is compatible with AA/DCFTA
    obligations. The European Union is ready to work with its neighbours
    to find ways to promote greater regulatory convergence between the EU
    and members of the Customs Union. The last thing we want to see is a
    protectionist wall cutting our continent in two. In today's
    ever-more-competitive global economy, we cannot afford to waste our
    efforts on a regional geopolitical rivalry,' the Commissioner said.

    German MEP Elmar Brok, the chairman of the European Parliament
    Committee on Foreign Affairs, told the debate that it is not
    acceptable when a country like Russia uses energy pricing as a tool in
    order to block the free choice of a country.

    Kiev's hopes of signing a free-trade pact and other agreements with
    the EU at the Vilnius summit have caused concern in Moscow. Russia,
    which would like control of Ukraine's gas pipeline network, has used
    the promise of much cheaper gas to try to coax Kiev into the Customs
    Union, which was set up in 2010 and offers tariff-free trade between
    members.

    In August, Russia sounded a warning shot to Ukraine, conducting extra
    customs checks on Ukrainian imports over several days.

    http://www.neurope.eu/article/meps-urge-russia-lessen-pressure-ex-soviet-republics

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