Merkel looks forward to partnership with Russia

New Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on May 8 she was looking forward to “intense cooperation” with Vladimir Putin in his new function as Russian prime minister. “Germany will continue to be a reliable partner to you and your government in dealing with the important tasks ahead,” Merkel said in a message of congratulations.

Merkel wished Putin, who was confirmed prime minister on May 8 in a near unanimous parliamentary vote that underscored his continued power, the best of luck for “your responsible function.”

Earlier the chancellor said Germany aims for a cooperative relationship with Dimitry Medvedev, who was sworn in on May 7 as Putin’s successor as president.

“I wish the new president, Dimitry Medvedev, everything of the best and good luck. I am looking forward to cooperating with him,” Passauer Neue Presse newspaper quoted Merkel as saying.

Putin has said he will not alter the current division of power between the Kremlin and Russian White House, and has indicated he will rule in informal partnership with Medvedev. Merkel also said that she had “a very constructive and direct relationship” with Putin. “We will continue to cooperate in the future in his new role as prime minister,” she said, while also acknowledging that there were differences of opinion, Deutsche Presse- Agentur (dpa) reported.

The new Russian president is to pay his first visit to Berlin in June. Merkel’s predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, had a close relationship with Putin, calling him “a thoroughgoing democrat.” Since coming to office at the end of 2005, Merkel has struck a different course, taking a more distanced approach to Russia, while seeking to mend relations with the United States, which were cool under Schroeder. German energy experts are acutely aware of the country’s dependence on Russian energy supplies. Germany currently draws around a third of its gas from Russia, with the figure set to rise to 40 percent once the Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea comes onstream in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Council of the European Union expects that a deeper partnership will be established with Russia following the inauguration of Medvedev.

The spokesman urged “joint solutions” to problems, pointing out that Russia and the EU held similar positions on the bulk of international issues. The official also expressed hope that the EU would soon issue a mandate for the start of negotiations on a new partnership and cooperation agreement with Russia.

Andrew Wilson, senior policy fellow at senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), has called for a common policy towards Russia. “During the eight years of the Putin presidency, the European Union has failed to define and defend a common policy towards a resurgent Russia. It has also consistently punched below its weight as Russia has skilfully played divide-and-rule within the EU. The change from Putin to Medvedev offers EU leaders a new opportunity to coalesce around a shared strategy; but it may also bring renewed outbreaks of infighting,” he said.

“The second half of 2008 provides a unique opportunity to rebuild the EU-Russia relationship by beginning negotiations on a new PCA. The election of Medvedev coincides with preparations for the French presidency and political change in key member states; but any new Russia policy must aim higher than the lowest common denominator,” Wilson added.

“The EU’s new Russia policy must firmly entrench the principle that the EU itself, rather than the member states, should be Russia’s main negotiating partner. It should demonstrate both sides’ adherence to existing commitments and the rule of law. And it should allow for a stronger European voice in ancillary bodies like the Council of Europe and the OSCE, where Russia is also playing divide-and-rule,” he noted.