Bias claims from Russian envoy

RUSSIA’S envoy to the European Union complained of anti-Russian bias among the bloc’s new members in an interview published yesterday, a week before the EU-Russia summit.

Sergei Yastrzhembsky did not name any countries but the comments showed Russia’s continued discomfort with this year’s addition to the EU of three former Soviet republics - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania - and five one-time Warsaw Pact countries.

“Part of the political spectrum in the new members of the European Union have a pretty negative attitude in relation to Russia ... the spirit of confrontation and intolerance,” he was quoted as saying.