Sweden accused Russia yesterday of waging “economic warfare” against former Soviet republics that have been considering closer trade relations with the European Union and said the EU needed a strategy to resist Moscow.
The EU is planning to take steps towards signing trade deals with Armenia, Georgia and Moldova at a summit of regional and EU leaders in November in Lithuania, and could seal a similar agreement with Ukraine.
Closer economic ties with Europe would mark a clear break for the east European countries with their Soviet past, and such plans have fuelled Russia’s concerns over a decline of its historical influence in the region.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, speaking during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, said Russia has taken advantage of the international focus on Syria to quietly put unprecedented pressure on its neighbours.
EU, Russia in tug-of-war over former Soviet republics
“What we have seen during the past few weeks is brutal Russian pressure against the partnership countries of a sort that we haven’t seen in Europe for a very long time,” Bildt told reporters.
He was referring to an EU policy of establishing closer links with Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, and supporting democratic reforms in the east, called the “Eastern Partnership”.
Moscow sees former Soviet states as part of its own strategic sphere of influence, and has set up a customs union and urged them to join it.
Europe views countries in the east as an important energy conduit and wants to see democratic reforms take root in the region. It has never promised EU membership for countries in the region, but spends hundreds of millions of euros on aid.
Bildt said Russia had exerted “extremely heavy pressure” on Armenia to persuade the government in Yerevan to join the customs union led by its old Soviet master, and that Moscow had also tried to intimidate Moldova.
“I see they have been threatening Moldova with a cut-off in gas supplies as well as a cut-off in wine exports. This is economic warfare they are threatening against these countries.”