By Chris Jones - 21st May 2006
New EU member states in central and eastern Europe have an axe to grind over Russia, Moscow’s ambassador has warned.
Speaking to FT Europe, Vladimir Chizhov said that the eight former Soviet bloc countries were resurrecting “phantom pains of the past” and hampering relations with Moscow.
“With enlargement, the EU has not become an easier partner for us,” Chizhov told the paper.
“Some, not all, of the new members have brought into the EU their own phantom pains – people who concentrate on the sores of the past.”
Poland in particular has been particularly vociferous in raking over the embers of the past, targeting not only Russia but also Germany.
Warsaw is particularly annoyed that the new German-Russian gas pipeline will bypass Poland, and has accused Moscow of “blackmail”.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also fallen out with their larger neighbour over border agreements and the treatment of Russian minorities.
But Chizhov said that Russian-EU relations were not beyond repair, and suggested that the increasingly bullish attitude of Washington could push the Europeans closer together.
US vice-president Dick Cheney launched a blistering attack on Russia earlier this month, also accusing Moscow of using its energy reserves to intimidate other countries.
The ambassador was speaking ahead of this week’s EU-Russia summit, which is already expected to be overshadowed by energy issues.
The EU is concerned about the security of its energy supplies following Russia’s decision to cut off supplies to Ukraine in December over a dispute over price.
And Brussels is also seeking greater access to Russian gas for European companies as Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian supplier, looks to invest in EU energy markets.
Chizhov told FT Europe that Moscow was keen to sign the international energy charter guaranteeing supplies, but that the text needed amending first, and that any agreement was unlikely before the G8 summit in St Petersburg in July.
A new visa agreement between Russia and the EU should also be signed this week, paving the way for an eventual lifting of all visa restrictions.
But Moscow is also expected to come under pressure from EU officials to ease its stance on homosexuality – the city’s mayor has caved in to calls to ban a gay pride march planed for later this week.
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