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Analyst: Medvedev's Visit Is Opportunity to Improve Relations
Sunday 04 April 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, April 4 (TASR) - Slovakia should use Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the country to promote proposals for improving relations between Russia, Ukraine and the EU, political analyst Alexander Duleba told TASR on Sunday.
According to Duleba, such a development is needed partly to make sure that no gas crisis ever happens again.
He added that although the dialogue between Slovakia and Russia won't resolve the situation alone, as the participation of Ukraine in talks is needed; it could still yield "results in a broader sense". Duleba emphasised that as important as bilateral Slovak-Russian talks are, it would be even better to have Ukraine and the EU take part, especially when discussions on energy-security issues are involved "because Slovakia is a member state of the EU, and it's the EU that formulates joint energy policies, including regulations on the trade in natural gas," said Duleba.
He also expects the Russian president to reiterate his proposal for a new treaty on European security. "I expect this to be one of the topics that he would like to promote, not only in Bratislava but in Prague as well, particularly on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the end of WWII ... although the recipient of this message is not only Slovakia, but the whole of Europe itself," claimed Duleba.
Medvedev's visit to Slovakia on April 6-7 will have deep symbolic significance, as it marks the 65th anniversary of the Red Army's liberation of Bratislava on April 4, 1945. Slovak and Russian representatives will sign a number of treaties whose final form will still be subject to change. Medvedev will be accompanied by several members of the Russian Government, including but not limited to Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov, Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov and Energy Minister Sergei Smatko.
After Bratislava, Medvedev is scheduled to visit Prague to sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with American President Barack Obama on April 8.
According to Duleba, the U.S.A. was keen to have the treaty signed in Prague for two reasons. "The number one being that the U.S. had withdrawn the project for building a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland. I think that it was a kind of moral duty of the U.S. towards the Czech Republic to have the treaty signed in Prague. And secondly, it was in Prague that President Obama spoke for the first time about his desire to see a world without nuclear weapons," said Duleba, according to whom the Russians have obviously accepted the reasons for choosing Prague as the venue.
Duleba added that it doesn't really matter where the treaty is signed, as its content concerns the whole world. According to him, the choice of venue will undoubtedly give the Czech Republic international prestige, however.
Political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov agrees. "This represents a welcome opportunity for the Czech Republic to promote itself. The nuclear arms reduction treaty will go down in history as the Prague Treaty - so, this is surely a great opportunity for Prague," he told TASR.
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