Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-19-Speech-3-151"
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"en.20031119.6.3-151"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, following European Union enlargement on 1 May 2004 we will have an additional frontier with Russia, not only through Finland, but also through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and our relations with Russia will be even more important. We are very clear when we say that we want to seek a strategic partnership with Russia, because we know that relations between the European Union and Russia are crucial for peace and stability on our continent in the twenty-first century.
I would like to thank my fellow Member Arie Oostlander most sincerely for negotiating a text with the other groups. We have here a text from six groups that reflects our opinion. We expressly recognise the progress that Russia has made on the road to democracy, but it is also a sign of partnership that the deficits we see are addressed openly. The President-in-Office has spoken of the elections in Russia, and elections can only take place if society is free from fear. Elections can only take place if people have enough information. Elections can only take place if the political system is fair. Elections can only take place where there is the rule of law. That is where there are deficits. We have reports that Russian citizens are afraid to protest when they find the state behaving wrongly. In our legal order, it is taken for granted that we can protest against any administrative act, at whatever level. That is why it is important for democratic development in Russia and for stability in Russia – stability is unthinkable without freedom, without democracy – that Russia should make progress in making democracy and the rule of law a reality.
Chechnya is an open wound in Europe, not just in Russia. We must insist that the Chechen people are not equated with terrorists or bandits, but that the Chechen people are granted autonomy within the Russian Federation, as is the case with Tatarstan, for example. It would be a tragedy if, in the necessary fight against terrorism in the world – and we are resolutely for the fight against terrorism –, the Chechen people were ultimately to pay the price of terrorism. I say quite calmly, but my words are addressed to the Council and the Commission, that if we hold a summit with Russia and issue a declaration, then the most important topical issue cannot be left out of the official document.
My plea for the future is therefore that we do this, and I expressly acknowledge that the Council Presidency said something about it in its statement of 8 October. However, it is also important that we agree on a common policy and therefore on a formulation when meeting with the Russian president.
We support the inclusion of Russia in the Bologna process. We need scientific and cultural exchange with Russia to prevent Russia turning away from Europe as it has often done in its history. We want partnership, we want a Russia that is turned towards Europe, and we must include young people in particular here.
We urge Russia finally to sign and ratify the border agreement with Estonia and Latvia and we promise our future Member States Estonia and Latvia support in that, because their concerns are our concerns, the concerns of the European Union. We call upon Russia finally to take the necessary steps.
We want to be Russia’s partner, and if we criticise one thing or another, we do so because we want to see democracy made a reality in Russia and because we want to live in peace, friendship and partnership with the Russian people."@en1
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