By RIA Novosti,
Washington : The U.S. has voiced its support for the EU’s decision reached in Brussels at an emergency summit on Monday to postpone talks on a new partnership deal with Russia until it pulls it troops out of Georgia.
The 27-nation bloc stopped short of imposing sanctions, but pledged to strengthen economic and political ties with Georgia, and condemned Russia’s decision to recognize Georgia’s separatist regions as independent states. Russia rejected the EU agreement, saying it sent the “wrong political signals”.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Monday evening: “This extraordinary EU summit demonstrates that Europe and the United States are united in standing firm behind Georgia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and reconstruction.”
“We will work with the EU to assist Georgia with its reconstruction and will participate in the international conference on Georgia’s reconstruction,” she said, adding that Russia must choose whether or not to “isolate itself from Europe.”
The EU leaders’ joint statement voiced alarm at Russia’s “disproportionate reaction” to Georgia’s August 8 military offensive on South Ossetia, and called for an “in-depth investigation” into relations with Moscow.
A new round of talks on a Russia-EU Partnership Cooperation Agreement governing trade, military and energy relations were due to start on September 15. The negotiations had been launched in July after 18 months of delays. Relations are still governed by an accord signed in 1997.
Britain, Poland, and the ex-Soviet Baltic states had led calls for tough measures against Russia in the run-up to the summit, while France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Finland had taken a more cautious stance, warning against damaging ties with Russia.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the agreement was reached: “I think we found an excellent compromise by not going back to business as usual, but still making clear that we want to maintain contact with Russia.”
However, Russia’s EU envoy, Vladimir Chizhov, said the agreement “gives the wrong political signals, and to the wrong people.”
“I don’t like the fact that this [partnership talks] process is tied to the pullback of troops to their August 7 positions… the troops have already been withdrawn.” However, he expressed that a number of issues would be ironed out during Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to Moscow next week.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will be joining Sarkozy and EU policy chief Javier Solana on a visit to Moscow and Tbilisi starting September 8, to discuss the implementation of the French-brokered six-point peace plan.
The EU also agreed on Monday to send a fact-finding mission to the region, and pledged to strengthen ties with Tbilisi and provide financial aid for reconstruction.
Russia officially recognized the Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, saying the move was needed to protect the regions following Georgia’s attack on August 8 in which hundreds of civilians died and thousands were forced to flee.