Russia woos France, Germany
Source: Agencies |
October 19, 2010, Tuesday
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A SECURITY summit among three leading European powers France, Germany and Russia started yesterday at Deauville, France.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy summoned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the two-day summit starting last night in part to prepare for France's leadership of the Group of 20 leading global economies.
With terror threats, concerns about Iran's nuclear program and the war in Afghanistan high in European governments' minds, however, security has emerged as the key theme.
Medvedev said yesterday before leaving for Deauville that he wants a "worthy global response" to Russian proposals for a new European security agreement.
Moscow is also looking to create a Russia-EU committee on foreign policy and security, according to the Kremlin, and to build a "democratic space of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasia region."
This summit may shed light on what that means in practice.
An official in the French president's office called the summit a "brainstorming session," but said one example of potential for cooperation is Russian interest in buying French warships.
The prospect has worried some in Washington and some of Russia's neighbors.
Sarkozy wants Europe to recruit Russia as an ally "at a moment when Russia is looking farther and farther West," the official said. Europe should "reset" its relations with Russia the way the Obama administration has tried to do, the aide said.
The aide said frozen conflicts such as Moldova's separatist Trans-Dniester region are likely to come up at the summit in Deauville.
Moldova is a former Soviet republic struggling over whether to tilt toward Russia or the West, and Trans-Dniester is not internationally recognized but is supported by Russia, which still has 1,500 troops there.
German Deputy Foreign Minister Werner Hoyer said last month that the Trans-Dniester conflict needed to be solved "not against, but with Russia."
Merkel said that a goal of the meeting in Deauville is to improve cooperation between NATO and Russia, "for the Cold War is over for good." She insisted, though, that a new "security architecture" should not hinder US-European cooperation in NATO.
The summit is also supposed to look at Russia's improving though still imperfect relations with NATO, and deadlocked efforts to improve ties with the 27-nation European Union.
It's likely to confront "frozen conflicts" on Russia's periphery that have held back broader ties.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy summoned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the two-day summit starting last night in part to prepare for France's leadership of the Group of 20 leading global economies.
With terror threats, concerns about Iran's nuclear program and the war in Afghanistan high in European governments' minds, however, security has emerged as the key theme.
Medvedev said yesterday before leaving for Deauville that he wants a "worthy global response" to Russian proposals for a new European security agreement.
Moscow is also looking to create a Russia-EU committee on foreign policy and security, according to the Kremlin, and to build a "democratic space of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasia region."
This summit may shed light on what that means in practice.
An official in the French president's office called the summit a "brainstorming session," but said one example of potential for cooperation is Russian interest in buying French warships.
The prospect has worried some in Washington and some of Russia's neighbors.
Sarkozy wants Europe to recruit Russia as an ally "at a moment when Russia is looking farther and farther West," the official said. Europe should "reset" its relations with Russia the way the Obama administration has tried to do, the aide said.
The aide said frozen conflicts such as Moldova's separatist Trans-Dniester region are likely to come up at the summit in Deauville.
Moldova is a former Soviet republic struggling over whether to tilt toward Russia or the West, and Trans-Dniester is not internationally recognized but is supported by Russia, which still has 1,500 troops there.
German Deputy Foreign Minister Werner Hoyer said last month that the Trans-Dniester conflict needed to be solved "not against, but with Russia."
Merkel said that a goal of the meeting in Deauville is to improve cooperation between NATO and Russia, "for the Cold War is over for good." She insisted, though, that a new "security architecture" should not hinder US-European cooperation in NATO.
The summit is also supposed to look at Russia's improving though still imperfect relations with NATO, and deadlocked efforts to improve ties with the 27-nation European Union.
It's likely to confront "frozen conflicts" on Russia's periphery that have held back broader ties.
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