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Verbatim report of proceedings
Thursday, 26 February 2004 - Brussels OJ edition

EU-Russia relations
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  Frahm (GUE/NGL). (DA) Mr President, quite a few people, including Mr Patten, have said that EU-Russia relations have not always been ideal, and right now can probably be characterised as being quite strained. As several people have said, there are good reasons for this.

Last Monday, we were able to ‘commemorate’ the 60th anniversary of Stalin’s deportation of the Chechens and, thus, also the 60th anniversary of a genocide that has never been properly acknowledged. We have also, in the last few days, been able to see how journalists of a critical disposition have been denied visas for Russia. These are journalists who wish to cover the election and who are not therefore being given an opportunity to offer a critical analysis of what is happening. We see other things. Mrs Malmström mentioned how, with a snap of his fingers, Putin dissolved the Russian Government. All these things mean that the situation is extremely worrying. There are good reasons for being very critical of what is happening in Russia.

I sincerely support Mr Belder’s report but, conversely, I have, in recent days, been astonished that we can talk so clearly about Russia but so unclearly about China. I do not understand how, on the one hand, we can pursue a critical line – which I think is correct – on Russia and, on the other hand, consider lifting the arms embargo against China which, in my view, is more or less as difficult, troublesome and unreasonable as Russia in its behaviour.

I believe that genocide has taken place, and is continuing to take place, in Tibet. I believe that the oppression of the Chinese people is without parallel. I believe that we are here seeing problems similar to, and in reality still greater than, those in Russia. Nonetheless, we are considering lifting the arms embargo.

In one way or another, the EU must ensure that its foreign policy is adjusted in such a way that the policy lines adopted are commensurate with the behaviour of the countries with which we work. I do not, moreover, think that this is the situation at present.

 
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