Inequality in Strasbourg Court to complicate Russia-EU relations - Lavrov
MOSCOW. Oct 8 (Interfax) - Attempts by the European Union to secure privileged positions in the Strasbourg Court will complicate Russian-EU relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
Addressing European businessmen in Moscow, Lavrov reminded them that the issue of the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights had been debated for years, adding that such a step could set the stage for making the EU an "object of attention" of the European Court of Human Rights.
"These are difficult talks because the European Union wants [to secure] such conditions that would put the non-EU member states of the Council of Europe in a discriminatory situation," the minister said.
"If this line prevails, it will be the hardest blow to European identity, considering all member states of the Council of Europe. It will be the hardest blow to discussions on the inadmissibility of creating new dividing lines, and it will be a fairly serious problem in our relations with the EU," he said.
