Syria to be high on int'l agenda of EU foreign policy chief's visit to Moscow - Chizhov
BRUSSELS. April 18 (Interfax) - Syria stands out amongst the global affairs Russia wishes to discuss with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Moscow on April 24, Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Russian reporters in Brussels.
"The EU viewpoint, which is a sum of 28 [stances] or, to be exact, the smallest common denominator of the stances of the 28 countries, is actually known. The European Union responded to the latest events in Syria in Ms. Mogherini's voice - those statements had been coordinated with the member countries - in a rather reserved way. That included, for instance, the recent incident involving the so-called use of chemical weapons and the subsequent U.S. missile strike," Chizhov said in the run-up to Mogherini's visit to Russia.
The EU is a member of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), and some of the EU member states are more active than others. Chizhov said.
"Perhaps we can hardly speak about the EU's complete unanimity on Syria. Yet what is the impact of those differences on the latest statements made by the EU foreign policy chief? As I've said already, I'd rather describe them as a common denominator. Let us see what new things our EU partners have to say," he said.
"The latest events in Syria coincided with a major conference convened here, in Brussels, through an active EU effort," Chizhov said. "It was mostly focused on the humanitarian situation and the post-conflict reconstruction in Syria. Still, whatever happened, happened, and certain delegates (not just EU member countries; in all 70 countries, among them Russia, were participating) tried to refocus the entire debate on condemning Damascus for the alleged use of chemical weapons. It didn't work," he said.
"The effect, including the effect of representation of the decisions made at the Brussels conference, was somewhat spoilt," Chizhov said. "They promised $6 billion in donations. Let us wait and see what happens next. I believe that the precondition that has become part of the EU's stance, namely that direct involvement in Syria's reconstruction depends on the political transition, will keep EU donations from going directly to Syria. They will go either to neighboring countries (which certainly need the funds so much because they have taken in crowds of refugees, for instance, Jordan and, especially Libya). The rest of the money goes through international organizations, which, in contrast to the European Union, are working directly in Syria," Chizhov said.
As to direct interaction with Damascus, "the European Union seems to be experiencing certain limitations dictated by a number of member states, considering that the EU makes such decisions unanimously," he said. "They actually set political terms of conducting the political transition before receiving the money. So, we have something to discuss and to exchange opinions on during this visit," he said.
"The European Union publicly called in one of Mogherini's statements for investigating circumstances of the so-called chemical attack in Syria," Chizhov said. "True, they expressed 'understanding' of the motives the United States had in delivering the missile strike on the Syrian military airfield, but this reflects dialectics of their perception of reality," he said.
"Naturally, Syria is not the only problem. We will clearly speak about the Middle East in a broader format. This includes Iraq, Libya and the extremely complex situation on the Israeli-Palestinian track. There are other relevant international affairs as well. I believe they include the events in the Western Balkan region where the European Union has been playing a noticeable role in recent years, even though its efforts have not always been fruitful," Chizhov said.