RUSSIA CRITICIZES EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 23:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia’s Foreign Ministry Thursday renewed criticism
of the European Union’s new "Eastern Partnership" with six ex-Soviet
states, saying the scheme forced them to side with either Europe or
Russia, easy bourse.com reports

"We still have questions regarding the added value of the ‘Eastern
Partnership’," ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists
at a weekly briefing.

e referred to a plan launched last week in Brussels designed to
provide support to eastern European countries and also encourage
reforms.

The countries involved – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova,
Ukraine and possibly Belarus – "face an artificial choice: Are you
with the European Union or are you with Russia?" said Nesterenko.

"That can be applied to Belarus to the fullest extent," he said.

He also warned against bringing the countries into conflict with
Moscow-led regional structures such as the Commonwealth of Independent
States and a defense group called the Collective Security Treaty
Organization.

"In our opinion, such an architecture of E.U. cooperation with Russia’s
neighbors shouldn’t come into conflict with the integration obligations
of these counties within the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty
Organization," said Nesterenko.

The new partnership plan has an aid package attached worth EUR600
million – money likely to be welcome as the economic crisis hits
the region.