CIS chief threatens ex-Soviet states over joining EU program

news_id=12547
20-05-2009 14:50:32

The executive secretary of CIS, a Russian-dominated group of ex-Soviet
nations, has warned that the member countries participating in the
European Union`s Eastern Partnership program "may face difficulties."
Sergei Lebedev told a news conference in Minsk last week that "bringing
legislation into compliance with EU demands will require revisiting the
agreements reached within the CIS, and then these countries will have
to make a choice."
"As a person who is well-versed on the state of the economies, I can
see that, at this stage, the EU will not be able to compensate the
losses that countries might incur as a result of their participation in
the Eastern Partnership," the Russian diplomat said, according to local
media.
Lebedev added that program participants would not benefit, even from
"minute assistance" worth 600 million euros being offered by the EU.
Lebedev hopes that the participation of six former Soviet republics in
the initiative "will have no impact on their involvement within the CIS
and they will remain members of the Commonwealth."
The Eastern Partnership, floated by Poland and Sweden, covers
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. The
participating states signed a declaration on joining the program with
the 27-member bloc in Prague on May 7. It envisages simplified visa
regulations, free trade and closer energy cooperation, although
membership in the bloc is not on the agenda at this point. The
participating countries are required to bring their laws into
compliance with EU standards, pursue economic reforms and bolster
democratic development.