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Russia Shrugs Off EU 'Punishment'

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  • Russia Shrugs Off EU 'Punishment'

    RUSSIA SHRUGS OFF EU 'PUNISHMENT'
    Jessica Le Masurier

    Sky News
    Sept 2 2008
    UK

    As the Russian Prime Minister struck a macho pose with a Siberian
    tiger, the EU looked rather toothless after its emergency "what to
    do about Russia" summit.

    Russian president Dmitry Medvedev (right) and Tajik counterpart
    Imomali Rakhmon inspect troops in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

    Could the European Union's so-called "punishment", the postponement
    of EU-Russia partnership talks, actually play in Russia's favour?

    Russian affairs expert Alexander Rahr told Sky News Online the move
    may have suited Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. He said: "Medvedev
    wants to avoid an outdated partnership deal with the EU as he would
    like a more strategic approach.

    "Russia doesn't want to be pressed into obeying EU rules. It wants
    to stall the talks. The EU has played into Russia's hands."

    The European Union re-emphasised its support for Georgia on Monday
    and criticised Russia's continuing military presence there. There
    was, however, no real condemnation of Russia's behaviour - just a
    vague statement about potentially postponing EU-Russia partnership
    negotiations if Russia does not withdraw its troops from Georgia
    within the next three months.

    Meanwhile, both Russia and Georgia took the opportunity to whip up
    more patriotic fervour over the Caucasus crisis.

    Georgians held anti-Russian protests to coincide with the summit in
    Brussels while the Russian media branded the talks a failure.

    In the Georgian capital Tbilisi, protesters formed a human
    chain. President Mikhail Saakashvili claimed a million people had
    gathered there as he rallied the crowds.

    He said: "The whole of Europe, the whole world is with us. Georgia
    will never stop resisting, Georgia will never surrender."

    More protests were held across Georgia as well as in London and
    Athens. Demonstrators waved red and white national flags and chanted
    "Georgia! Georgia!".

    Russian newspapers claimed Moscow had got the upper hand after the
    EU said although it would freeze talks on a partnership deal with
    Russia it would not impose economic sanctions.

    The Russia daily Kommersant called it a "victory for Russian
    diplomacy". Russian newspapers led with sarcastic headlines like;
    "Europe can keep sucking our oil and gas". The government newspaper
    Rossiiskaya Gazeta said the outcome was no surprise: "The mutual
    dependency between Russia and the EU leaves no alternative to
    developing close bilateral relations. This was once again confirmed
    at the EU summit in Brussels."

    It appears the EU is keen to negotiate rather than row with
    Russia. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to lead an EU delegation
    to Moscow and Tbilisi next week.

    Tensions in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region
    between Armenia and Azerbaijan are all to be factored into an EU
    Caucasus "stability pact". But critics say the EU is already too
    stretched in Iraq and Afghanistan to channel enough money into a
    serious plan for stabilising the Caucasus.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had some advice for the West
    on how to deal with the crisis. He picked up the Russian tiger theme
    again, implying, in his Shere Khan-esque voice, that it might just
    be best to let Russia remove the Georgian President.

    He said: "If instead of choosing their national interests and the
    interests of the Georgian people, the United States and its allies
    choose the Saakashvili regime, this will be a mistake of truly
    historic proportions."
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