Translated material
See you in Siberia
Vladimir Putin made the Eurotroika an offer they couldn’t refuse
The leadership of the European Union lives in anticipation - and, it seems, impatiently - of Vladimir Putin's departure from the presidential post. This is how one can describe one of three vivid impressions from the 20th anniversary Russia-European Union summit that took place last Friday in the Portuguese town of Mafra. Two other impressions are associated with Mafra itself, as ancient as it is charming, a corner of Portugal, as well as with the historic 18th-century basilica with the largest bell tower in Europe, which hosted the meeting of the Russian President with the EU leadership .The final press conference of the summit was held by its hosts in the basilica's library, numbering more than 40 thousand volumes, the Gothic architecture of which forced us to think about at least two questions - what physical effort is required to get the right book from a shelf that seems just as accessible , like the firmament in a planetarium, and how do you manage to blow away the centuries-old dust from these books? But interest in answers to these questions evaporated as soon as the extraordinary local technology of book keepers became clear. It turns out that bats live in the library. At the same time, they don’t even think about fighting them, since they destroy insects that can damage rare books.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the female part of the journalistic corps shuddered in anticipation of a meeting with the winged “book cleaners”. And when, finally, four figures in the dark appeared in the depths of the library space, the girls breathed a sigh of relief: well, the organizers of the summit will not allow bats to engage in vigorous activity in the presence of the President of Russia, the Prime Minister of Portugal, the Chairman of the European Commission and the High Representative for Common Foreign Policy and EU security policy. Namely, they, Vladimir Putin, Jose Socrates, Jose Manuel Barroso and Javier Solana, approached the journalists to answer their questions. But first, each of them made brief statements.
And it was here that the journalists - at least your correspondent - were overtaken by the impression that he decided to share at the beginning of this report. Although, as it turned out, the VN correspondent was not original, since the Russian president had the same impression, which he did not fail to share with those present. And how could one not have noticed the insistence with which each of the EU’s leading troika drew attention to the fact that Mr. Putin was taking part in the EU summit for the last time as President of Russia. True, Vladimir Putin did not insist on an unambiguous interpretation of the statements of Mr. Socrates, Barroso and Solana, noting that “I also didn’t really understand - it was said with joy, hope or relief.” None of Putin's counterparts reacted in any way to this guest's remark. And he did not specify which of the emotions listed by the Russian president on the occasion of his upcoming departure from the Kremlin should be considered “necessary to emphasize”...
However, the emotions of the Europeans at the end of the summit in Mafra could be explained, in particular, by the very tough style of communication with them that Vladimir Putin chose. According to sources close to the negotiations, the president spoke quite sharply with his interlocutors about the delay in negotiations on Russia’s accession to the WTO . He reminded the Eurotroika that Moscow had already agreed on all steps, in particular with regard to the agricultural sector, but it was being presented with new demands.
Indirect evidence of such indoctrination was the public statement of the Chairman of the European Commission, Mr. Barroso, that “the Russian president really demonstrated a spirit of constructiveness in resolving this issue, the EU and the European Commission support the idea of Russia’s accession to the WTO, there is no doubt about it.” However, the proposal of representatives of Russian business - Anatoly Chubais and Viktor Vekselberg, outlined by them at the meeting with European businessmen preceding the summit - to determine the end date of negotiations on Russia’s accession to the WTO and draw up a final list of issues that need to be resolved at them, but which can no longer be expanded, it remained unanswered.
Putin used offensive tactics in dealing with the Euro-three and on another issue - Ukrainian . As VN learned, Putin doubted the sincerity of our partners in the EU when they show alarm about the energy blackmail of Ukraine by Gazprom, which is seeking to bring prices for gas supplied to it to the pan-European level. The Russian president, according to our source, invited the Europeans to prove their concern for Ukraine, which wants to join the EU, and provide it with a loan for the purchase of Russian gas. It is likely that this topic could arise in the context of a discussion of an early warning mechanism for risks to energy supplies.
According to an informed source of VN, our partners also found a reason to demonstrate an offensive style. It was demonstrated by Mr. Barroso. The Chairman of the European Commission said that the EU and Russia “are constantly discussing and cannot solve one problem,” namely the settlement of the issue related to the Russian side charging fees for flights over Siberia by civil aircraft of European airlines. It seems that this was the only issue on which Putin allowed himself to adopt defensive rather than offensive tactics. He replied that he met on the eve of the summit with Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin and drew his attention to the need for an early consideration of this problem.
Overall, Putin can consider the meeting in Mafra a victory. Thus, a spectacular move, according to Kremlin strategists, was Putin’s proposal to establish, say, a Russian-European Institute of Freedom and Democracy in Brussels. Its goal, according to Putin, will be “to intensify dialogue on the organization of the electoral process, monitoring elections, the situation of national minorities and migrants in the EU countries and in Russia, too, the state of freedom of speech, and on other issues of interest to us.” Recalling that “the EU, with the help of grants, helps the development of institutions of this kind in Russia,” Putin said that “the time has come” for Russia, “taking into account its increased financial and economic potential , to do the same in Europe.” According to our source, the Russian president’s proposal practically stunned the European partners, and in response they could only note that this was “a very interesting proposal and it should be carefully studied”...
As it later became clear from the words of presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky, this proposal was born as a response to the story of accusations by the Russian authorities brought against the St. Petersburg Humanitarian University, which received a grant from the EU to organize independent monitoring of the electoral process in Russia.
The formal results of the Mafra summit were two agreements. Their signatories on the Russian side aroused the interest of the European press. Firstly, it was the European premiere of the new head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the successor of German Gref, well known in Europe, Elvira Nabiullina, she signed an agreement between Russia and the EU on the trade of certain steel products. In addition, the public looked with interest at the man about whom the media had been writing for weeks as one of the participants in the “war” between the Russian special services - the head of the Federal Drug Control Service, Viktor Cherkesov. He signed a memorandum of understanding with the head of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
And then Vladimir Putin announced that he had made another offer to the EU leadership, which they could not refuse. For the next summit (which are held twice a year) they will have to travel deep into Siberia, to Khanty-Mansiysk. It is there that the hospitable Russians will be ready to hold the next, 21st Russia-EU summit in the first half of next year (when the EU presidency passes to Slovenia).
But since Putin, as president of Russia, will hand over his post in the Kremlin to the successor elected in March next year only in May, after the inauguration, the question arises whether it is too early for EU leaders to “hope, rejoice or regret” that the summit in Mafra is the last one since his participation as president? After all, if the Siberian summit takes place before the May inauguration, then Putin may attend it as the current president alone or together with the already elected but not yet inaugurated head of the Russian state.
Meanwhile, in Mafra, Vladimir Putin spoke about his future employment. In particular, that he does not intend to move to the chair of the head of the government of the Russian Federation, and “if someone thinks so, then it is not so.” And in general, he said, “as for my future work, I have not yet decided where and in what capacity I will work.” At the same time, he confirmed that he will not change the Constitution “for himself” and “will not run for a third term "
Putin's last words sounded somewhat tired, but categorical. Now, until the Duma elections, no one in Europe will torment him with these questions. Because it seems he won’t go there until December 3rd.