Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-05-25-Speech-3-087"

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"en.20050525.13.3-087"2
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"When discussing our relations with Russia, we frequently think in terms of the Russian people, the Russian culture and our dealings with Russian businesses. It should come as no surprise that our thoughts on the matter are favourable. At the same time, however, President Putin’s policies present us with a problem. This is a man who violates human rights, who places restrictions on economic and political freedoms, who has reverted to a Stalinist interpretation of history and who has awarded a medal to General Jaruzelski. The latter was joint commander of the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia and in charge of the defeat of Solidarity. ‘Divide and conquer’ has been one of the guiding principles of the Kremlin’s policies for some time now. Russia maintains close, and even friendly, ties with certain EU countries, whilst snubbing others. One could say that this is a political strategy that has been employed since time immemorial, but I would ask why the other side should have to sit back and allow it to happen. At the same time, of course, we should be asking ourselves who this other side actually is. Is it just a few Western countries whose governments believe that friendship with Russia is worth the extra expense, no matter what history has to say, are we referring to the countries of Eastern Europe that are subject to increasing pressure from Russia, or do we in fact mean the EU as a whole? A great deal has been said about the EU’s common foreign policy recently, in particular with regard to the Constitutional Treaty. The issue we are now debating will put this policy to the test. Now the EU must send out a clear sign of solidarity to Russia, and a sign that we will gauge its good will towards the EU as a whole on the basis of its approach to the new Eastern European Member States."@en1
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