EU against Russian policy towards Caucus conflict – Ferrero-Valdner

By KUNA,

Brussels : The European Union (EU) stance on the Georgian crisis remains firm in opposition to the Russian policy, EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Valdner said here on Monday.
In her address to the EU’s summit organized specifically for the Georgian issue, she said the outlines of the Russian policy towards the Caucus crisis went counter to the basic rules of the international law.


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She was commending on Russia’s unilateral recognition on August 28 of the independence of the Georgian separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Announcing the move, President Dmitry Medvedev said the outlines of the Russian policy focused on commitment to the international law and opposition to the U.S. hegemony.

The policy aims to build new basis for handling the international affairs, protect the Russian citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, serve Russia’s overseas economic interests and maintain Russia’s influence on the world, he pointed out.

Ferrero-Valdner, in the meantime, asserted the importance of maintaining contacts with Russia but said the EU-Russian ties could not be as strong as before due the recent incidents (in Caucus region).

The EU summit decided to postpone negotiations on a new partnership agreement with Moscow until Russian withdrawn its troops from Georgia held prior to August 7 positions. The talks were scheduled to take place on 15 September.

“Europe has spoken with one single voice,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy whose country holds the current rotatory presidency of the EU, said in a press conference here this evening following summit.

Sarkozy said he along with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana would fly to Moscow and Tblisi next Monday to discuss the conflict in Georgia.

The EU summit called on Russia to ensure “full and scrupulous” implementation of the French brokered 6-point plan for ceasefire in Georgia.

The EU leaders in a final communiqe condemned Russia’s move to recognize the independence of breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Javier Solana suggested imposing sanctions on Russia.

The sanction option is among the agenda issues of the summit, he said after meeting Georgian Prime Minister Vladimir “Lado” Gurgenidze here earlier in the day. The Russian-Georgian conflict erupted on August 7 after Georgia sent troops to S. Ossetia to regain control over the breakaway region.

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