SVETLOGORSK, Russia, 4 July 2005 — President Vladimir Putin yesterday called on the world community to work together to bring stability to violence-wracked Iraq, saying after meeting with French and German leaders that past disputes should not prevent future cooperation.
“All of the disagreements on the Iraqi problem must remain in the past,” the Russian leader said.
All countries should join together in efforts to stabilize Iraq, he said, “so that the Iraqi people can take responsibility and take their fate in their own hands.”
Meeting with Putin near the Baltic Sea port of Kaliningrad were French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who came at Putin’s invitation to mark the 750th anniversary of the exclave’s founding.
Earlier the two leaders told Putin that the positive relations between Russia and the EU were vital for world stability and for the prosperity of Kaliningrad, which is cut off from the rest of Russia by EU members Poland and Lithuania.
“The relationship between Russia and the European Union is essential for world equilibrium,” Chirac told Putin.
“The relationship between Russia and the EU in the four spheres (law enforcement, culture, legal issues, the economy) is also important for the Kaliningrad region,” Schroeder said. “The closer relations are, the better it is for Kaliningrad’s success.”
Putin defended Russia’s decision last month to reject a proposed treaty with Estonia that would have delineated a final border between the two former Soviet republics. Moscow balked at Estonian lawmakers’ proposal to insert a statement about the five-decade Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.
Talks between the three leaders also focused on Iran’s nuclear program, North Korea and other issues.
Putin largely enjoys the support of the French and German leaders, though some domestic critics blame the two countries for not confronting him on human rights abuses, such as those committed by Russian forces in the brutal war in Chechnya.
The three leaders were also attending ceremonies marking the founding of Kaliningrad, a city that was founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Order of Knights and called Koenigsburg until Soviet troops took it over in 1945.
The festivities, which were attended by the leaders of all of Russia’s 89 regions, were meant to reassert Russia’s commitment to this region, which has been separated geographically from the rest of Russia since the Soviet collapse.
Notable was the absence of the leaders of Poland and Lithuania, whom Putin did not invite — sparking criticism that he was paying too little attention to Russia’s closest neighbors to the west, both former Soviet satellites.
“We are celebrating the 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad/Koenigsburg as an internal Russian event,” Putin said.
The EU is Moscow’s largest trading partner, accounting for more than half of its trade, while Russia is a major energy supplier for Europe.
The leaders also were to discuss Kaliningrad’s special status, which has become a thorn in EU-Russia relations since the EU’s expansion last year.
Moscow has sought special rules for passenger and cargo transit across Lithuania to bridge the gap between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia.
