[Broadcast HD] Helsinki 2.0 For Democracy and Rule of Law in Russia
Channel: ALDE ADLE
Date: 2011-12-01

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ALDE Conference -- Helsinki 2.0 - Liberals and Democrats call for democracy and the rule of law in Russia

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Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament hosted this week a conference in Helsinki on how to address the lack of democracy in Russia. Inspired by the Helsinki process in the 1970s to ease Cold War tensions and promote common values, we are urging a new process to be initiated - Helsinki 2.0 - to engage Russia constructively on a path that respects democracy and the rule of law.

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1. Various shots from the opening of the conference showing participants.
 
2. SOUNDBITE, Guy Verhofstadt -- President of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament:
 
"In the 70's there was already the Helsinki Process that was the beginning of the recognition of human rights and democracy in the former Soviet Union and we thought it is absolutly necessary to do it again, to have a Helsinki 2.0 because for the moment there is an enormous problem in Russia. There is a lack of democracy, there is also a lack of rule of law in Russia and we need to be outspoken on that. We need to alarm the international community that action is needed towards Russia."
 
3. Conference banner shot.
 
4. SOUNDBITE, Guy Verhofstadt -- President of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament:
 
"First of all, to put the question on the agenda of the next summits with Russia. There are 2 times a year summits between European Union and Russia, so that is a good opportunity to raise the question, to put it on the agenda. Secondly, we are talking to the Russians on the facilitation of the visa regime and also that could be one of the points of the agenda.  We go forward with the issue of the visa liberalisation and facilitation but only if from the Russian side there are also reforms of a number of things towards more democracy and towards more respect of fundamental rights."
 
5. Conference shots.
 
6. SOUNDBITE, Mikhail Kasyanov, former Russian Prime Minister:
 
"Russian governments, Russian state committed itself just to be part of Council of Europe and to be a part of OSCE and these two important organisations just provide for certain obligations for the countries: to have elections free and fair and there is a very clear description of what those democratic elections should be about. Of course, first of all, free access of all political forces, of all people to elections.  That's what happened in Russia for 4 -- 5 years: no single independent party has been registered, no registration of new parties. The registration of a new political party in Russia means access to elections. My party tried 3 times to register in the elections and every time we were rejected.  PARNAS as  a recent, the last attempt of the democratic opposition, a real opposition to participate in the elections, to use this constitutional mechanism of having an influence of authority and just to participate to form the political course of the country. This attempt fail again, because on the political grounds but using technical reasons, again we were denied registration, to participate in the elections. These elections cannot be viewed as free. These elections are contrary to the international obligations of the Russian Federation and to constitutional Russia."
 
7. One shot showing Mikhail Kasyanov arriving to the conference.
 
8. SOUNDBITE, Mikhail Kasyanov, former Russian Prime Minister:
 
"The so called Arab Spring .... could potentially appear in Russia similar developments in a period of 5 years if no  changes of normal methods take place, in this case negativism and protests among the people and unacceptability by people of all those developments could merge and mature to the stage that some kind of Spring could appear in our country. We try our best to prevent such developments, that's why we have to create such public pressure on these authorities so that to put them to the round table and to negociate the civilised way they should threw free elections to escape to build up an exit strategy for these people and to have our free elections and let people understand that the country we live in, the Russian Federation, in our country! "

Liberals and Democrats call for democracy and the rule of law in Russia