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| EUROPE, FACE TO FACE WITH RUSSIA 02/09/2008 |
| (2008-09-02) |
| Last updated: 2008-09-03 16:11 EET |
Europe refuses to go back in time. The repeat in the Caucasus of the Soviet invasion of Prague 40 years ago has outraged both public opinion and political leaders in the EU member states. So, the main message which they tried to get across to Moscow at Monday’s special summit in Brussels focusing on the Georgia crisis is that, quote “ Yalta’s time is gone” and “ the return to the spheres of influence policy is unacceptable”. On behalf of the European Union, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country ensures the rotating presidency, made it a point to say that Europe further wanted a partnership with Russia, but that you needed two parties for a partnership.
That is why, for the time being, Brussels decided to postpone its negotiations with Russia on a consolidated partnership accord until Moscow withdraws its troops from Georgia onto positions prior to the invasion. Far from refusing a direct involvement, president Sarkozy and the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso made it clear that they would go to Moscow and Tbilisi to try and get the settlement of the conflict and first and foremost the pull out of the Russian troops. “The Europeans’ unity is worth emphasizing”, president Sarkozy pointed out, also suggesting that the decisions of the summit were not influenced by the energy dependence on Russia.
A Black Sea country, steadily concerned with the frozen conflicts in the ex-Soviet area, which as one could see, can flare up any time, Romania was represented in Brussels by president Traian Basescu and prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu. For president Traian Basescu, the conclusions of the summit are, quote “extremely good” unquote and Romania found its standpoint laid down in the final communique.
“ It is acknowledged that owing to the Georgia crisis, the EU-Russia relationships is at a turning point. The solution adopted was to postpone the negotiations on the new EU-Russia partnership until the withdrawal of the Russian troops onto the positions prior to August 6th 2008”.
In turn, prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that the European Union wanted to provide a special visa regime for Georgian nationals and to create a free trade area to help the economy of that state. Tariceanu said that the summit had shown Europe’s ability to respond rapidly and efficiently to international crises.
“This special European Council was a success marking an important point in revitalizing the European Union as an outstanding political player.”
Also on Monday, in Georgia, hundreds of thousands of people took part in a huge human chain, demanding an end to the Russian aggression. As an expression of their gratitude for Bucharest’s solidarity, protesters also carried Romanian flags.
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