Re: (russian)Talks With EU Stall Due to Lithuanian Veto

Bravo, br=E2=EFu tauta!

Konstantin Eggert in Kommersant, "Value Talks." An excerpt --

"Russian politicians doubt the success of the European project in
their heart of hearts. They are more likely to accept the muscle
approach to world affairs, practiced by U.S. politicians, so much
loathed by them. Moscow would rather deal with the most influential EU
states bilaterally hoping that the European grandees will impact the
rest the way Russia needs. After all, Europeans purchased gas from
Brezhnev without bothering him much with uneasy questions about human
rights and dissidents.

"But the latest developments have shown that things will never be the
same again, and it takes the grandees months to persuade Poles or
Lithuanians to temper justice with mercy. More to the point, the new
EU member-states are proud to belong to the 'European community of
values,' as Prince Karel Schwarzenberg, Czech Foreign Minister and one
of the most ardent critics of authoritarian regimes puts it.
Interestingly, Russia has also changed. It is no longer the Soviet
Union. And to achieve a breakthrough in the relations between Russia
and the EU, dialogue on values will have to be started sooner or
later. It may turn out heated. But you can=FFt avoid it."

http://www.kommersant.com/p888037/r_520/Russia_and_the_EU_need_to_bring_up_t=
he_values_issue/

/P

http://lettonica.blogspot.com/