Russian Foreign Ministry: Eastern Partnership summit misses chance to narrow Europe split
MOSCOW. May 22 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized the outcomes of an Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, describing it as an over-ideologized geopolitical project.
"Despite the fact that we recognize efforts of states realizing their responsibility for Europe's fates, another opportunity to make a step toward narrowing the continent's growing split was missed in Riga under the pressure of certain participants' opportunistic goals," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary on Friday.
"The final document in fact confirms all the previous attitudes well-known from the past Partnership summit in Vilnius," it said.
"Eastern Partnership essentially remains an over-ideologized geopolitical project, whose implementation is negatively affected by certain EU member-states with their historical anti-Russian complexes," it said.
"The EU once again muttered its inadequate position on Crimea," the Foreign Ministry said. "Some leaders of the European Union member-states and Brussels representatives have yet to learn to respect the people's free choice and will, upon which they are so fond of discoursing in other contexts," the Foreign Ministry said.
"There have also been noticeable attempts to blame Moscow's intrigues for all of Eastern Partnership's troubles and reasons of disagreements in approaches toward this project between different countries, including between EU members," the ministry said. "The summit is new, but the song is old," it said.
"Russia does not question everyone's right to strengthen relations with their partners, including with the European Union. However, this should be done on an equitable basis, without abusing the aspiration of countries concerned for reforms and modernization but respecting historical ties and the entire spectrum of relations with their neighbors," it said.
"As an inseparable part of European civilization, Russia presumes that these or those states belong to the European matrix regardless of anyone's decisions or recognition, that its consolidation is an ongoing and live process, and that it should bring together all Europeans from Lisbon to Vladivostok rather than separate us by the false question: 'Who are you with?'," the ministry said.
Moscow is ready to work constructively with the European Union, the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States in building a unified economic and humanitarian expanse from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, based on common and inseparable security for all, the ministry said.