Mr President, Mr President-in-Office, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, my group advocates a stronger strategic partnership between the European Union and Russia, because we are convinced that peace in our continent is largely dependent upon our ability to maintain a strong and effective European Union and an effective and democratic Russian Federation. We also recognise the progress that Russia has made in recent years in overcoming the legacy of the Communist era. We are, however, amazed at some of the circumstances surrounding the Brussels Summit. This negative view really needs to be aired here. It concerns both Chechnya and Kaliningrad. With regard to Chechnya, I would like to say that we are constitutional states and Denmark is also a constitutional state. It is the indisputable right of the Chechens to hold a peaceful conference in Copenhagen if it is their wish to do so. I do not wish to criticise the presidency for the fact that the summit ended up being held in Brussels. But I believe that we need to be courageous and not always give in when our partners in talks put pressure on us and demand concessions. On the contrary, we need to stand firm. We are in favour of resolutely fighting terrorism, because terrorism is an obstacle to the peaceful coexistence of peoples. We very much declare war on any form of terrorism. However, we also believe that the war on terrorism should not be deprived of its legitimacy by surrendering human rights in its name. That is why we are demanding that the war on terror should go hand in hand with a global ethic based on human rights. What this means in practice is that the human rights of the Chechen people should not be sacrificed at the altar of the war on terror, necessary though that war may be. I was extremely surprised by what I read in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of 13 November. Russia's President Putin was reported as having responded to a journalist that ‘if you want to become Islamic radicals and are therefore willing to be circumcised, than I invite you to come to Moscow. We are a country of many different faiths, and we have excellent doctors. We would recommend carrying out the operation in such a way that nothing grows again’. That is typical of the way human rights are breached in Chechnya. I would be very pleased, Mr President, if in future the issue of Chechnya could be addressed in writing in the communiqués issued following these summits. I have not been able to find a single word about this in the communiqué, even though reporters told me that Mr Rasmussen championed this cause, and Commissioner Patten also informed the Committee on Development and Cooperation about this. However, this should also be included in the conclusions of a summit of this kind. Now let me turn to Kaliningrad. I read today in my local paper, the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, a well-written article entitled ‘Russia offers little hope. People of Kaliningrad expect much from EU, but little from Moscow.’ I naturally welcome the fact that the thorny issue of visas has been resolved. However, the people in the Kaliningrad region or ‘oblast’ – and this is the heart of the matter – look far more towards the West than they do towards Russia. Igor Rudnikov, the managing editor of the courageous newspaper Novye Kolyosa, which means ‘New Wheels’, has said that the rhetoric and fuss issuing from the Russian Federation on the subject of Kaliningrad has only damaged its cause. They look towards the capitals of Europe – to Paris, to Warsaw and to Berlin. The central issue is that the Kaliningrad region should be developed so that it does not become a no-man's-land in Europe, but becomes part of a development axis running through Poland and into the Baltic states. It would do Russia credit to put this on the agenda, so that these human problems can be solved. I would like to encourage you, Mr President-in-Office, and the Commission, to act with this in mind. If you do that, you will have our support too. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE