Putin boosts EU ties but blasts Baltics
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Wednesday 11 May 2005 6:06 AM GMT

Putin (L) held talks with EU leaders to improve cooperation

Russia's agreement with the European Union to strengthen ties has been tarnished by Russian President Vladimir Putin's tirade on his Baltic neighbours.

Putin angrily accused Baltic states on Tuesday of "political demagoguery" in churning up historic resentment towards <st1:City w:st="on">Moscow</st1:City>, souring a summit designed to cement relations between the EU and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p>

Putin was speaking minutes after <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> signed the agreement with the EU to strengthen ties that have frayed since 2004 when ascension of new states - including three former Soviet Baltic republics - brought the bloc to Russian borders. <o:p></o:p>

"We are ready to sign an agreement on borders ... with <st1:country-region w:st="on">Estonia</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Latvia</st1:country-region></st1:place>. We hope they will not be accompanied by idiotic - in terms of their content - demands of a territorial nature," said Putin. <o:p></o:p>

US visit<o:p></o:p>

Putin made his comments in the wake of US President George Bush's four-day visit to <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p>

Bush urged Russia to respect
democracies along its border

Bush expressed open sympathy with the Baltic states over their complaints about relations with <st1:City w:st="on">Moscow,</st1:City> but declined to back their pleas for an apology from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region></st1:place> for what they call the Soviet occupation after the end of the second world war.

In their meeting on Sunday, Bush urged Putin to respect budding democracies on his border, and to push ahead with internal reform - a reference to what some US officials say is <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s backsliding on democracy. <o:p></o:p>

Neighbourly relations<o:p></o:p>

<st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region> has yet to sign a border agreement with Baltic neighbours <st1:country-region w:st="on">Latvia</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Estonia</st1:country-region>, a move that has been repeatedly delayed by poor ties between <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Moscow</st1:City></st1:place> and the Baltics. <o:p></o:p>

"Let's start dividing up everything in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>? No, no. I don't think so. We appeal to Baltic politicians to stop practising political demagoguery and start constructive work"

Vladimir Putin,
Russian President
Putin called a Latvian territorial claim dating back to 1945 "total nonsense". <o:p></o:p>

"It does not fit with the spirit of creating a common European home," said Putin in an angry outburst that appeared to take aback EU officials present at a Kremlin news conference held after the signing of the EU-Russian agreement. <o:p></o:p>

"Let's start dividing up everything in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>? No, no. I don't think so. We appeal to Baltic politicians to stop practising political demagoguery and start constructive work. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> is ready for such work," said Putin. <o:p></o:p>

His remarks were a reminder that resentment among Baltic countries - <st1:country-region w:st="on">Estonia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Latvia</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Lithuania</st1:country-region> - have the potential to unsettle relations between <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Moscow</st1:City></st1:place> and the EU.

Reuters
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