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“Russia and EU are inevitable partners” – Medvedev

Published: 18 November, 2009, 18:34
Edited: 22 November, 2009, 12:02

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) stands with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt during a one-day EU-Russia summit in Stockholm November 18, 2009 (AFP Photo / Getty Images)

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TAGS: Global warming, Meeting, Medvedev, EU, Russia, Politics, Economy, Gas


After the Lisbon Treaty comes in force, Russia-EU relations won’t suffer considerable changes as they are “inevitable and amicable partners,” President Dmitry Medvedev told a media briefing in Stockholm.

Summing up the results of Russia-EU summit in Sweden, Dmitry Medvedev said that “the new thing for us is that we will get new partners after new leaders are elected in Europe.”

“But whoever will be in power, they know the importance of relations with Russia. The same with Russia, whoever the leader will be, the relationship with the EU remains one of Russia’s top priorities in foreign policy,” he said.

Watch the media briefing after Russia-EU summit in Stockholm in full

downloadembed

The Russian President has said he is happy about the results of the summit as Russia and the EU have discussed the whole range of issues traditional for Russia-EU summits – and at the same time, they did it in a constructive manner, without putting too much emotion into it and without creating problems which have stood in the way of such meetings before.

As for the Russia-EU agreement which is being developed, President Medvedev said that the work on it will be finished in the nearest future.

“The work which we started in Khanty-Mansiysk is going on well, we have already held six meetings and now we are working on the provisions of the agreement. Soon, we will finish work on the whole document,” he said.

Meanwhile, RT’s political commentator Peter Lavelle believes Russia is going to be a lot harder on the new partnership agreement with the European Union.

“In 1997 the European Union was much smaller – now it’s much bigger, Russia was a very different country then, it was in crisis, it was falling apart – now it is a very different place and the new agreement has to reflect the new realities here, and Russia is going to be a lot harder, it is not going to give in so easily as it did in 1997,” Peter Lavelle said.

Speaking about the importance of the economic aspect of Russia-EU relationship, Dmitry Medvedev particularly mentioned the visa issue.

“We agreed that the existing visa system is counterproductive for normal exchange between people and creates problems,” he said.

And one of the most important results to come out of the EU-Russia summit held in Sweden in terms of economy is that the EU has fully supported Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization.

“We agree on the need to work closely together addressing the crisis, avoiding protectionist measures. In this context I reiterated our clear support of Russia’s accession to the WTO which guarantees fairness, open markets and a better-spread prosperity both for Russia and the EU. We believe that the early accession of Russia to the WTO would solve several issues and also allow progress on the new agreement,” President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said.

Dmitry Medvedev said that the most important point here is the speed of Russia’s accession to the WTO, not the way Russia will do it.

“We will choose the shortest way,” Medvedev told the media.

Energy issues have also been discussed, in particular energy security and the initiative put forward by Russia, the Energy Charter, and “we came to an understanding in this respect,” Dmitry Medvedev said.

The international agenda has also been on the table – the Iranian nuclear program and the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“We were very productive in our cooperation with EU and the US in these areas. We do not differ in our positions,” Medvedev commented.

At the same time, Russia and the EU have differences over the situation in the South Caucasus, but “this is not dramatized,” the Russian President stressed.

“On the contrary, we have to find common ground, to find ways to stabilize the difficult situation around South Caucasus,” Medvedev said.

Climate change and cooperation in this area has become one more issue closely discussed.

“We have the same concerns and we would like to actively cooperate. Russia has always been in the mainstream of the European understanding of what should be done over this problem,” Dmitry Medvedev said.

Concluding his speech, the Russian President said that “he is satisfied with the work done and this is the last summit that was held according to old rules – next time it will be held according to new guidelines.”

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18.11.2009, 18:18 1 comment

Iran rejects UN uranium exchange offer

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18.11.2009, 20:29

“Russia-EU summit in Sweden is a step forward”

Russia and Europe now want one and the same thing – to improve their relationship and face the winter in a different mood, Giulietto Chiesa, a former member of the European Parliament, told RT.

Gilbert Doctorow November 21, 2009, 17:46
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The EU-Russia Summit in Stockholm marked an important reset of relations with Russia. Accordingly it was very well covered by the Russian media, including the full transmission of the concluding Press Conference. However, in mainstream Western European print media there was not a word about the Summit. To find out why, read http://usforeignpolicy.lalibreblogs.be/archive/2009/11/20/balance-of-power-in-play-the-eu-russia-summit-stockholm.html#more

peter November 18, 2009, 23:09
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The world is witnessing history in the making on the grand scale. In the last 200 years or so the World has derailed against Planet’s people wishes, history has witness bloodshed on the monstrous level, in other words this Planet was drenched in blood on battlefields for someone else’s profit. But history is healing itself from inflicted derailment; the 20th anniversary of Berlin Wall has brought top leaders of the World together to seal the peace on the Planet and the events which are happening all over the World suggests that the humanity has a future, a future where people’s free will shall prevail. After all, it has been proven that there is only one universal consciousness experiencing itself individually, which means if you harm someone else you are harming yourself. That’s what Jesus thought us: “love your neighbour as you love yourself”.

Count Cash November 18, 2009, 16:11
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Of course we can be natural partners, just like we can be natural partners with anyone who is seeking free trade and equitable relations. But that is the whole point. Europe needs to create a single constructive, pragmatic and equitable position towards Russia. This we hope will happen as the Lisbon treaty allows more and more control of the whole of the EU by the big stable players. They are the ones who can guide and fashion an EU which can look on Russia as a true partner. There is a long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction. We welcome Europe and anyone else, including the US, if they come to us, without hypocrisy, without double standards, without a desire to control us. In other words, if you come as a partner, we will receive you as such. Europe I hope is understanding this, and with its new structure can deliver on it. There is no benefit to anyone of a conflict situation, there is great benefit in a partnership situation. But we will be careful, and we judge the situation by actual deeds, not words. This is what we always do.