EU hoopvol over nieuwe besprekingen met Rusland in juni (en)
The European Union i is planning to launch partnership talks with Russia in June in attempt to set a new tone in its relations with Moscow following the election of a new Russian president but this week's NATO summit could spark yet another dispute between the two sides.
At an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Slovenia over the weekend, European leaders signalled their strong will to kick-start the long-delayed negotiations in June during a top bilateral summit in Siberia to be hosted by Russian President Dmitrij Medvedev.
"I am very optimistic after this discussion that we will very soon have a mandate to start negotiating on a new agreement with a new administration using the chance for having a real partnership on equal footing, on the same level and with the possibilities of having a broad scope," said EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner i.
"We will take on board the preoccupations of some of the member states and I do think that we can be successful in the near future," she added.
The launch of negotiations was previously blocked by Poland and Lithuania. But Warsaw later dropped its opposition after Moscow agreed to end an embargo on Polish exports of meat and meat products, and Lithuania - concerned over energy issues - looks likely to follow suit.
"I am satisfied with talks today. We are moving in the right direction," Lithuanian foreign minister Petras Vaitiekunas said after the ministerial session in Brdo. But Vilnius insists that Moscow fix a pipeline to supply a Lithuanian refinery with crude oil before giving its green light.
And Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski also stressed: "We must be directed by our values. Although Russia is an important partner to us, the partnership must not be based on double standards."
At the same time, Slovenia, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said it was confident that the member states would agree on a common mandate for talks with Russia in April. These would cover a broad range of issues, namely trade, energy, human rights and political cooperation.
The biggest EU states were particularly outspoken over the need for the EU to move forward and be united on its stance towards Russia.
"I think this is a situation where we in Europe should look for opportunities to begin anew," said German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, referring to the Kremlin's handover of power set for 7 May.
"It is not very useful for each of us to have separate relationships with Russia," said French foreign chief Bernard Kouchner.
NATO challenge
But despite the optimistic words, the EU could already potentially face new trouble in relations with Moscow this week due to the NATO membership aspirations of two former Soviet republics, Georgia and Ukraine.
The leaders of the Alliance are meeting in Bucharest (2 - 4 April) to decide whether to boost the candidacy status of the two countries, a move strongly opposed by Russia.
Some countries such as Germany are said to be against giving the go ahead to Georgia and Ukraine out of fear of antagonising Russia.
In a telephone interview with the Financial Times, Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili said the NATO would make "a dramatic mistake" by denying invitations to Tibilisi and Kiev saying it would reward hardliners in Moscow.
"Appeasement is seen there by them as a signal that they should act...even tougher, and they will be even more aggressive and provocative," he said, adding: "No matter what some Europeans might be thinking, it's basically giving them direct veto rights, because that's how they'll perceive it."