Russia clashes with Europe over democratic freedoms

RUSSIA and the European Union clashed yesterday over democratic freedoms in Russia at a contentious summit on the banks of the Volga River.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern after anti-Kremlin campaigners planning a protest near the summit venue were prevented from travelling there by Russian authorities.

“I hope that they will be able to express their opinion,” Merkel told a joint news conference at the end of the two-day summit.

Putin testily defended “preventive measures” taken by Russian police ahead of the rally, comparing these to common practice in European countries.

The Russian leader, in turn, criticised the treatment of ethnic Russians in EU members Estonia and Latvia as “unworthy of Europe” and accused Estonian authorities of causing the death of a Russian national during riots last month.

Hundreds of ethnic Russians rioted after Estonian authorities relocated a controversial Soviet war memorial, sparking furious reactions from Russian officials.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said it was “a sovereign decision” by Tallinn and emphasised a common stand by EU powers, saying the row was “a European problem.”

The row with Estonia is one of many disputes between Russia and countries in formerly Soviet-dominated central Europe that joined the EU in 2004.

Still, participants said “constructive” discussions had taken place at the summit in Volzhsky Utyos (Volga Cliff), a picturesque resort some 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow.

Putin and EU leaders discussed setting up an early-warning mechanism for increasingly vital Russian energy supplies to Europe following a request from Merkel after recent gas and oil cut-offs from Russia.

Putin told Barroso and Merkel over dinner on Thursday that supply agreements he signed earlier this month with the energy-rich Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan would benefit Europe.

Talks also touched on Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation, which is being dogged by ongoing trade tariff disputes with Brussels, and the future status of the Serbian province of Kosovo.

But the overall impression was one of deep discord between the two sides.

“We found many problems during the summit. We have not always managed to convince each other but I think it’s always better to speak to each other than to speak about each other,” Merkel said.

Negotiations over a vital partnership agreement between the EU and Russia, are currently being blocked by Poland because of a trade dispute with Moscow.