Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-24-Speech-3-071"
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"en.20071024.5.3-071"2
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Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I hope that the EU-Russia Summit will prompt us to pause for a moment and define our common interests for once, for these common interests undoubtedly exist. They include economic interests and security policy interests, notably on issues such as the Middle East, Iran and combating terrorism and so on, where we must recognise that we cannot achieve our objectives without Russia on board. However, Russia must also understand that if it does not come on board, it will be undermining its own interests.
Looking at Russia’s demographic development and the vast expanses of Siberia, and at the countries with large populations here, if I were on the Russian side, I would not be imagining a threat from Europe. In the long term, I would see the threat as coming from elsewhere. I think that here, there is a high level of consensus on where we need to act.
On the so-called Western side, we – and I include the Americans here – did not really take Russia seriously when things were going badly for that country, with the result that it is now reverting to a more imperialist type of behaviour. This also applies to developments in Russia itself, notably in respect of human rights and press freedom, and its increasingly frequent and unacceptable statements concerning the independence of its neighbours. It is not acceptable that demands are being made of Russia’s ‘near abroad’ to the effect that certain types of conduct must be adopted towards a specific country. Every country has the right to take its decisions on a free and independent basis, and to determine where its path should lead. Russia has to accept that. There can be no reversion to outdated notions and the use of energy as a weapon, which is even less acceptable.
We can only move forward if we embark on a careful analysis of our interests again. I think that, once the elections are over in Russia, this will again be possible, and I also hope that it will stop Russia from proceeding down the wrong economic path. The large amounts of revenue flowing into the country from its oil and gas operations are being used to revitalise the old heavy-industrial combines in the aerospace, shipbuilding and similar sectors. If the situation takes a turn for the worse, they will face the same disastrous scenario as before, for Russia has not built up a sound, broad-based economic structure with small and medium-sized enterprises, and the consequences of that failure are obvious. It is in our interests, too, to ensure that no new vacuums emerge in Russia if oil prices fall."@en1
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