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Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union

Submitted on 2015-05-21 22:00:00

Comment by Information and Press Department on certain results of the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga

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Russia’s Foreign Ministry closely monitored the preparations for and the progress of the Eastern Partnership (EP) summit in Riga, Latvia. The Foreign Ministry will study the summit’sresults to determine if they comply with statements made by European Commission leaders to the effect that the EP is not spearheaded against Russia.

Despite the efforts of the countries that are aware of their responsibility for Europe’s future, the EP summit in Riga has missed anopportunity to stop the growing divide inEurope because of some member countries’ focus on their short-term considerations.The summit’s final document has actually reaffirmed the provisions approved at the previous EP summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. European Partnership has remained an ideologically burdened geopolitical projectwhose implementation is negatively influenced by some EU member countries with an anti-Russian complex.

Once again, the EU has stammered out its badly substantiated stance on Crimea. Some leaders of the EU member countries and Brussels representatives need to learn to respect the free choice and free expression of the will ofthe people, which they praise so eagerly in other situations.

We also noticed the attempts to blame Moscow for the Eastern Partnership’s problems and for the differingattitudes to this project in some countries, including the EU member countries. This latest summit sang the same old song.

Russia does not place in doubt the right of all countries to strengthen ties with their partners, including with the European Union. However, this should be done on an equal basis, without misapplying some countries’ striving for reform and modernisation, but by respecting historical ties and the entire structure of relations with neighbours.

Being an inalienable part of the European civilisation, Russia believes that any country’s belonging to the European matrix must not depend on other countries’ decisions or recognition. The strengthening of the European matrix is an ongoing process aimed at bringing all Europeans, from Lisbon to Vladivostok, closer together, rather than at dividing them by forcing them to takesides.

We reaffirm our willingness to engage inconstructive cooperation with the European Union, with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States in building a singleeconomic and cultural space from the Atlantic to the Pacific, based on cooperative and indivisible securityfor all.

May 22, 2015