At a meeting of the European Liberal Democrats parliamentary
group in Brussels on 3rd February, Sergey Mitrokhin, Leader
of ELDR member party, YABLOKO, called for a strong collaboration
amongst liberals in view of the introduction of a visa-free
regime between Russia and the European Union.
Mitrokhin called on the European Union to “work out a strategy
for interaction with Russia based on integration rather than
confrontation”. Such integration is needed both for the EU
and Russia in the field of the economy (which should not be
reduced to oil and gas issues only), politics and national
security (e.g., creation of a joint ABM), as well as a broad
spectrum of other aspects, such as integration of Russia’s
rich intellectual and labour potential into the European economy.
“The European Union should initiate projects that would engage
Russian society and elite into the European values and approaches”.
According to Mitrokhin, such a strategy can ensure Russia’s
steady movement towards the European way of development. Elimination
of visa barriers and free communication between the citizens
of the EU and Russia will enable Russian citizens to experience
the achievements of Western democracies and observe how democratic
institutions should really function and apply this in their
own country.
YABLOKO’s leader noted that it would be easier to overcome
Russia’s present problems with democracy, bureaucracy and
corruption, if ordinary Russian citizens have an opportunity
to learn and share the European values and the way of living.
Mitrokhin recollected that the idea of abolishing visas between
Russia and the EU was proposed as early as in 1995 by the
YABLOKO faction in the Russian parliament. “We specially invited
then Foreign Minister of the Russia, Igor Ivanov, and persuaded
him that this initiative was not a fantasy,” Mitrokhin said.
He also noted that in 2003 Ivanov shared these ideas with
his Italian counterpart. “We welcome the statements by Italian
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini that the Russian citizens
have deserved the right to free movement without visas within
the EU and the position of the Spanish Presidency, which is
going to result in the introduction of two year multiple visas
for Russian citizens”, he commented.
MEPs broadly supported the proposals for the earliest introduction
of a visa-free regime. However, there were also some doubts
expressed about such a policy, especially relating to the
security of Russia’s Southern borders. Answering these arguments
Mitrokhin noted that “Latin American states have no less problems
than Russia, nonetheless, the EU has established a visa-free
regime with a number of countries of this region”. Moreover
the Agreement on re-admission concluded between Russia and
the EU and ratified by the Russian parliament in 2007 eliminates
legal obstacles for introduction of a visa-free regime which,
however, does not mean abolishing of passport controls at
the borders.
YABLOKO hopes that the ALDE faction, as a king-maker in the
European Parliament, supports this initiative by Russian liberals.
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