European Parliament
Kristiina Ojuland,
on behalf of the ALDE Group.
Mr President, once again we find ourselves debating a Russia which is struggling on its way to build a genuine democracy. Every time the European Parliament discusses the situation in Russia, its counterparts in Moscow express their discontent about foreigners getting involved in their domestic home affairs. Instead of considering our constructive criticism, the Russian authorities point to other issues of a completely different nature.
We all know that the Duma elections were neither free nor fair. The situation with the presidential elections is one of
déjà vu
. An absence of free media and the behaviour of the central electoral committee is depriving the electorate of the possibility of making a genuine choice. The demonstrations by Russian citizens show that people want free and fair elections. We need to applaud their efforts and the maturity of civil society in Russia.
The attempts of Prime Minister Putin and his court to preserve power will provoke instability that will endanger our partnership for modernisation: investors will not be attracted to corruption and the idea of Russians packing their bags and fleeing the regime does not match our expectations either.
Legitimacy of presidential power is crucial for the development of Russia, including for its status in international affairs. There are big question marks over its place in the G8 and other international fora, especially in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The ALDE Group is glad to have the EEAS, at least, in place, to coordinate our European policies towards Russia. With one voice we can, of course, achieve more.
Europe needs a stable and reliable partner. However, the recent statements by Mr Lavrov on Iran, for example, are not at all encouraging for further cooperation in the security field. We therefore wish you
bon courage
, Madam Vice-President/High Representative. This Parliament is ready to cooperate with you.

