Russia retaliates against Moldova's EU treaty
TODAY @ 09:28
BRUSSELS -
Russia has banned imports of processed beef, horse meat, lamb, and pork from
Europe’s poorest country - Moldova - the same day it ratified an EU trade
treaty.
The
Russian veterinary authority, Rosselkhoznadzor, on Wednesday (2 July) cited
concerns over African swine fever in its decision, which enters into force on
Saturday.
The
move came as the Moldovan parliament adopted an EU free trade and political
association agreement by 59 votes against four, while 38 MPs from the pro-Russia
opposition Communist Party staged a walkout.
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President
Nicolae Timofti said “We are determined to advance toward Europe, because
Moldovan people deserve to live under to the same standards as Europeans”.
The
treaty will enter into force on 1 October, shortly before general elections in
November.
If
the Communists win, they could, in theory, revoke the EU pact. But they are
polling at just 30 percent, while support for the pro-European coalition is
growing, not least due to the EU’s lifting of visa restrictions this year.
Iulian
Groza, Moldova's deputy foreign minister, told EUobserver on Thursday the next
step will be to formally apply for EU membership: “The earliest we could do this
is one year after the DCFTA [the EU trade pact] enters into force. After one
year of implementation we would have the moral right to do that, so we are
looking at late 2015, but, of course, it also depends on European support [for
the move].”
He
said the processed meat ban is "symbolic" because Moldova mainly exports raw
meat to Russia. He noted that Belarus, a Russian ally, did not follow suit, just
as it did not follow Russia in a previous ban on Moldovan wine.
For
his part, Russian deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin, on Wednesday in Moscow also met with
delegates from Moldova’s breakaway region of Transniestria.
He
said they signed agreements aimed at redirecting Transniestrian exports from EU
markets to Russia.
He
added that Moldova’s pro-EU step goes against “life’s natural logic”.
He
said it violates Transniestrians’ “fundamental rights” and Russia “will render
all kinds of assistance to the region so that it can survive this difficult
period”.
Russian troops
Transniestria,
which broke away in the 1990s, still hosts about 2,500 Russian soldiers and an
ammunition dump, but is encircled by Moldova and Ukraine.
Groza
said his government does not know the content of Transniestria's new Russia
accords. But he noted that Moldovan and Russian officials are holding regular
meetings on the EU trade pact and related developments.
Amid
the Russian-stoked turmoil in east Ukraine, he added “there are no signs” of
similar attempts to destabilise the situation in Transniestria.
Separately,
the French, German, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers met in Berlin on
Wednesday to discuss prospects for peace.
They
agreed to meet again on Saturday amid plans to revive a “Contact Group” which
includes some rebels leaders.
Germany
called the meeting after Ukraine on Tuesday resumed full-scale hostilities
against the insurgents and after Russia repeated threats to "protect" Russian
speakers in Ukraine.
Polish
diplomatic sources told Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that Poland’s FM, Radek
Sikorski, was left out of the Berlin talks “most likely” at Russia’s request
because of his hawkish views on Russia-Ukraine relations.
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Subject:
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Russia
retaliates against Moldova's EU
treaty
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Date:
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7/3/2014
3:33:56 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
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From:
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Sent from the
Internet (Details)
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