Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-15-Speech-2-119-000"
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"en.20110215.5.2-119-000"2
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".
Madam President, first of all, I wish to thank all the Members for the pertinent questions they raised during the debate.
Thank you very much for your valuable comments. The High Representative will be duly informed of your opinion.
I very much share the concerns expressed here by many of you. I believe that the European Union as a whole will have to continue raising these concerns at all levels with our Russian interlocutors. We should not shy away from speaking directly when we have real and concrete issues to raise. If we are to act as strategic partners – and I believe that we are strategic partners of Russia – we must also be prepared to tackle difficult issues.
Two things in particular delighted me during this discussion. The first is that nobody questioned the fact that Russia is an important strategic partner for the European Union. Second, there was a general consensus in this room that modernisation and the establishment of a fully-fledged democracy and the rule of law has not yet finished in Russia, and there are many problems with the workings of democracy there.
I will certainly bring all the points raised to the attention of the High Representative in order for us to follow through the various means at our disposal. I am sure the coming visit of the Russian Government to Brussels on 24 February will provide us with a good opportunity to reiterate our concerns.
Russia is a permanent issue on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council. You may know that since last year, a regular European Council meeting has been dedicated to discussing issues with our strategic partners. This happened first – and most recently – in September 2010, and I think Mr Van Rompuy will do the same in the course of this year.
I shall now answer some of the specific questions Members have put to me. First, on Ms Hautala’s question on human rights, I would point out that the High Representative takes Parliament’s resolution of December 2010 very seriously. The circumstances surrounding the deaths in pre-trial detention of Sergei Magnitsky and Vera Trifonova must be duly investigated and the Foreign Affairs Council will, of course, pay special attention to that. We continue to raise these and other concerns at all levels, not only in the twice-yearly human rights consultations, but up to summit level, insisting on Russia upholding international commitments. Any decision on restrictive measures would be for the Council to take. Such instruments should be wielded wisely on the basis of clear evidence. First of all, we keep calling on Russia to ensure a proper investigation.
I would say to Ms Oomen-Ruijten that human rights are at the core of the negotiations on the new agreement and will be addressed on a number of fronts. We can assure you that the commitments of the EU and of Russia to uphold human rights, including those of persons belonging to minorities, will figure very prominently in this agreement and indeed constitute an essential element of the future agreement.
In conclusion, I will briefly sum up some of my previous points. The rule of law and independence of the judiciary must remain an integral part of the modernisation effort currently under way in the Russian Federation. The European Union must stand ready to support Russia in these efforts. Freedom of speech, assembly and association are the building blocks on which all Western democracies rest. Russia should uphold the legal commitments which it has entered into as a member of the Council of Europe, the United Nations and the OSCE.
The North Caucasus region remains a source of deep concern for us. We must encourage Russia to seek a sustainable solution to this endemic problem in the region. The important thing to bear in mind is that, in spite of the many concerns we have and the number of challenges Russia is currently facing, there have also been a number of positive developments. We must take President Medvedev at his word and continue to engage in a serious dialogue with Russia on human rights. So if there are cases, we have to be alerted and we have to follow what is happening in Russia very closely."@en1
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