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Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union

Submitted on 2013-10-31 23:00:00

Answer by Russian Deputy MFA Spokesman Alexander Bikantov to a RIA Novosti question on adoption on 24 October by the European Parliament of the resolution concerning implementation of the EU CFSP in 2012

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Question: How can the Russian MFA comment on adoption by the European Parliament on 24 October of a resolution concerning implementation of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in 2012 which contains many critical statements related to Russian authorities, including recommendation to link further advancement of negotiations on the New Basic Agreement, visa facilitation, as well as implementation of the Partnership for Modernisation initiative, directly to “progress” in democracy, as it is understood by MEPs, in Russia?

Answer: We are not used to comment on resolutions by the European Parliament, an EU internal body, authorised to issue recommendations to respective EU institutions. This is a fully internal political process.

However, since the mentioned resolution concerns implementation of the EU CFSP in 2012, including policy towards Russia, we would like to point out the following.

We took note of the openly russophobic nature of clauses on Russia. Anti-Russian moves of the European Parliament is no news or rarity. But this time anti-Russian mood goes beyond all reasonable limits. MEPs accuse Russia of “undermining international community’s efforts to react effectively and promptly to humanitarian crises, such as the tragedy … in Syria”.

We recommend MEPs at least to thoroughly check facts before going into moralistic lecture-like assessments in their resolutions. We regard MEPs’efforts to speak on behalf of the international community and, what is more, on behalf of Russian citizens as unsound and inadequate. Russian society does not need such “mediators”.

We strongly recommend the European Parliament, instead of needless politicisation and interference in internal affairs of other countries, to get concerned over establishment of trustworthy and effective mechanisms of human rights protection within the European Union itself. Situation in the EU in this field is far from universally recognised standards.

30 October 2013