Russian and EU leaders failed to reach any agreement at a
biannual summit at Volzhsky Utyos, Russia, with disputes on
democracy and the relocation of a former Soviet statue in Estonia
lingering on.
Both sides also touched on energy cooperation, but no progress
was made on the issue which has hampered relations in recent years
with successive winter price disputes, pipeline shutdowns and
Russian consolidation of Central Asian oil and gas reserves.
Disputes linger on
Russian and EU leaders argued Friday over democracy and the
relocation of a World War II statue in Estonia at the summit at the
Volga resort in southern Russia's Samara region.
Putin was quick to express his dissatisfaction over the EU's
position on a range of issues, describing it as "unacceptable."
"We repeat it today at this meeting: we believe it is
unacceptable," Putin told a press conference following the
discussions.
Putin was hosting the biannual summit with European Commission
President Jose Manuel Barroso and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel,whose country currently holds the EU presidency.
Estonia angered Russia in late April when it moved a bronze
statue of a Soviet World War II soldier from a central square to a
cemetery in the Estonian capital Tallinn, sparking riots.
Meanwhile, the Europeans have accused Moscow of eroding
democracy with its crackdowns on recent anti-Kremlin protests and
curbs on press freedom.
Despite all the rhetoric though, Putin went on to say that
"neighbors were not chosen" and Russia will continue to find
resolutions for its tense ties with Estonia and other
countries.
Looking at tackling hurdles, he said, "A difficult issue is the
strengthening of a legal frame work for partnership between Russia
and the EU. The EU should resolve its own problems and we have a
lot of respect for that."
Barroso admitted there are "difficulties" in EU-Russian
relations, but said the two sides "are committed to strengthening
our strategic partnership."
Among Barroso's complaints was Russia's ban on the Polish meat
imports, describing it as an "important matter" as Poland is a
member of the 27-member bloc.
"There's no reason for a ban on Polish meat," Barroso said,
adding that if there were any problems with the product it would
have been banned in the EU.
The conference, as analysts predicted, failed to trigger talks
for a new partnership agreement to replace the current one, which
came into effect in 1997 with a 10-year initial duration.
Both sides, however, spared room for further negotiations as a
partnership agreement would act as the guideline for bilateral ties
in the future.
Putin said Russia is "ready for an open and honest dialogue,
without any forbidden subjects, that would allow us to move our
relationship forward."
Merkel said the meeting offers a chance for both sides "to
decide on specific steps to advance our relations and resolve the
outstanding issues." "There are many areas in which we could
cooperate," she said.
Energy cooperation
On energy cooperation, Merkel said the two sides agreed to
analyze the European demand, adding that "there's willingness to
cooperate on both sides and we have a lot of potential."
Despite Merkel's softened rhetoric, the European Union has been
accusing Russia of using energy as a tool for political
purposes.
Russia inked a landmark deal early this month with Central
Asia's major energy producers, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, who
agreed to export their natural gas via Russia's pipelines around
the Caspian Sea.
Analysts, however, regarded it as a blow to Europe's and the
United States' drive to diversify energy supply by buying more gas
and oil from Central Asia.
In addition to energy, Barroso asked Russia and Germany to beef
up cooperation on tackling climate change.
They also discussed Russia's access to the World Trade
Organization. Russia is the last major economy outside the
international body.
(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2007)
