EU-Russia Ties
January 21, 2007
After a brief meeting with President Vladmir Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi in Russia on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for improved energy ties between Russia and the European Union to avoid "tensions" following supply disruptions.
Merkel said there was a need to improve communication with Russia.
Merkel said: "Communication on certain issues must be better to avoid irritations."
A new EU-Russia partnership deal "could include precise mechanisms on ways to inform each other in order to avoid tensions, misunderstandings or disappointments," Merkel said.
Putin said Russia was ready for an open dialogue on energy with Europe based on all sides' interests.
"(On energy) we hope that our partners, too, will adhere to principles of equal rights and mutual respect of interests," Putin told journalists.
The EU's latest energy worries were triggered when Moscow shut off the Druzhba oil pipeline, which carries about 10 percent of Russia's crude exports to the bloc, because of an oil pricing dispute with transit country Belarus.
Though supplies were resumed within days, the incident highlighted Europe's heavy reliance on Russian gas supplies and sparked off a new debate on energy security.
Putin says Kosovo's future is internal matter
The two leaders also touched on a host of other issues, chiefly the ongoing Serbian election, international diplomacy in the Balkans and the fate of the Kosovo province.
Serbia voted on Sunday for a new government in polls pitting pro-Western forces against ultra-nationalists as a decision on the future of the country's breakaway province of Kosovo looms.
Putin warned that a decision on the future status of Kosovo must not be imposed from the outside and should be accepted both in Belgrade and Pristina.
"Russia believes it is unacceptable that a decision on the status of Kosovo be imposed from the outside," Putin said.
"A long-term resolution of the problem can be achieved only if it is acceptable both to Belgrade and to Pristina," Putin said. "Europe does not have an interest in one of the sides, let's say Belgrade, having to accept a decision that is humiliating for the Serbian people," Putin said.
Russia, a traditional ally of Serbia, has opposed independence, warning that this could lead to instability in other breakaway territories.
"If we ignore territorial integrity ... then other peoples will
have the right to say 'we're going to do the same,'" Putin said. "This isn't just in the post-Soviet world but also in other countries, including European countries."
Merkel wants democratic forces in Serbia strengthened
Earlier in the week, Merkel said any decision on Kosovo must bring "maximum" satisfaction to the citizens of the province without stirring unrest in Serbia.
On Sunday, Merkel reiterated her stance, saying she did not want efforts to resolve the status of Kosovo to destabilize the situation in Serbia.
Merkel added she hoped the election in Serbia would strengthen democratic forces in that country.
"I hope that the democratic forces in Serbia are strengthened by the election," she told the news conference.
Merkel and Putin also supported the so-called quartet of international mediators launching a new drive to revive the Middle East peace process.
The quartet -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- is expected to meet in Washington on Feb. 2 to try to kick-start long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
"We agreed completely that the revival of the Middle EastQuartet is a good thing," Merkel told reporters.
Putin said: "We intend to pay special attention to the solution of the Middle East problem based on the road map recognized by all sides. We support efforts by (Merkel) to hold a meeting of the quartet of mediators very soon."