Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-01-Speech-3-020"
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"en.20090401.12.3-020"2
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"− Mr President, I would like to thank Parliament for giving us the opportunity to address, during this session, the issue of the relationship with Russia. As you certainly know, the Council discussed the relationship with Russia in depth some time ago, when we established the grounds and the rationale for the new EU-Russia agreement, and thus we consider it important that the negotiations for the new agreement are back on track. After all, Russia is our biggest neighbour, one of our key partners and an indispensable player on the international scene. Nowadays, when the economic crisis is hitting both of us equally hard, it is clear that confrontations will make neither of us any stronger.
We are grateful to Janusz Onyszkiewicz for his report and the recommendations made in it. In general we share many of your concerns as well as objectives.
I would now like to make a few remarks on the external security part of the new agreement, where the Presidency also plays a role in the negotiations. It is of the utmost importance that the new agreement should contain provision to ensure effective dialogue and cooperation with Russia, and should be based on common values, compliance with the existing international commitments, the rule of law and respect for democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms. This is particularly important in relation to our common neighbourhood. Indeed, it is essential if we are to see a solution to long-standing conflicts.
Conflict prevention is also an important objective. It needs to be pursued through both political dialogue and joint initiatives.
There is already some movement with Russia on the scope of the political dialogue and external security part of the new agreement. But of course the devil is in the detail. The most interesting and challenging part of the negotiations is now beginning, as we begin to discuss concrete text proposals.
Given that negotiations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to give you the details here. I can, however, assure you that we will seek to obtain substantial provisions on strengthening dialogue on the international scene, on the fight against terrorism, on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, on crisis management and on civil protection.
It was agreed at the EU-Russia summit in Khanty-Mansiysk that our shared aim was to conclude a strategic agreement that will provide a comprehensive framework for EU-Russia relations for the foreseeable future and help to develop the potential of our relationship. This remains our objective and one that the Presidency, as well as the successive Presidencies, will continue to work towards.
We stand ready to keep this Parliament informed of the progress and are grateful for the input which you have provided, in particular through the text of your resolution.
Constructive, rational and mutually beneficial cooperation and fulfilment of international commitments by Russia, on the other hand, certainly could.
Moreover, a dialogue and a constructive engagement are important means of defending our interests and promoting our values vis-à-vis Russia.
This, in a nutshell, provided the main impetus for our decision to resume the negotiations on the new EU-Russia agreement, despite what happened in Georgia last August. The crisis and its implications continue, certainly, to overshadow our relations. The negotiations in no way legitimise Russia’s conduct in Georgia, including in the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the EU has its red lines clearly set in this respect. Our support for the territorial integrity of Georgia is clearly one of them.
We continue to expect Russia to behave responsibly and to honour all its commitments. This in particular means that we will pay special attention to our common neighbourhood with Russia throughout the entire negotiation process. The crisis in Georgia has demonstrated how unresolved conflicts can remain volatile even after many years, and that military action is not a solution.
We have to remind Russia that it has much to gain from behaving constructively towards its neighbours, and that it has much to lose if it continues on the path of confrontation. Russia has, after all, already proved that it knows how to behave towards central European neighbours that are now part of both the EU and NATO.
We will continue to insist that Russia must abide by its international commitments and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and other eastern European countries that make up its common neighbourhood with the EU. Full cooperation will also be expected from Russia as much as from Georgia at the Geneva talks.
I do not intend to set out in detail the current state of negotiations with Russia on the new agreement. The Commission as the negotiator for the agreement will certainly be in a better position to update you on the process.
I should also recall that we are only at the beginning of the process, which could take some time. We should not be discouraged if it only moves slowly at first. I am sure, however, that by the end of our Presidency we will have greater clarity on what both sides want the new agreement to cover."@en1
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