The guest of the editorial board, Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov, commenting on the search of a compromise in solving the Kaliningrad problem.

Yesterday Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov was on a visit to the Business Luncheon at Rossiiskaya Gazeta. Heightened attention among our readers who put questions to Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov has been caused by the situation that has evolved between Russia and the EU over the Kaliningrad oblast. Consultations are beginning between Russia and the European Union on this problem in Brussels today at experts' level. It is with this problem that the conversation with the Minister began.

Question: What will be discussed in the course of the consultations and what are the starting positions of the sides?

Answer: Each of the sides will state its considerations on the question of the movement of those who would like to visit the Kaliningrad oblast and accordingly from the Kaliningrad oblast go to another part of Russian territory. We want to understand just what specifically can worry our European partners. If it is matters related to security, to illegal migration or to peculiarities of the visa regime then we are ready to closely cooperate with our European colleagues in order to remove those concerns. Today we are speaking of the need for us to create a common economic space, a common European space in the field of security. And if we are speaking of a common space, this naturally precludes the creation of artificial barriers in the path of cooperation. On how high will be the degree of understanding on the part of our European partners in solving a concrete particular question will largely depend how we will jointly tackle other problems as well which require seeking a compromise.

President Putin has emphasized that we are ready to seek a compromise which would take into account all the circumstances, and most important - would not create any complexities for Russian citizens. On the other hand, we must take into account the realities and the normative acts which exist in the European Union.

It is important that each of the sides should show a maximally constructive approach and be guided by strategic interests. The statements made by the representatives of individual states bear witness to the fact that this line is beginning to prevail in the position of the European countries. We hope that that approach will be determinant in Brussels as well. The negotiations as such between Russia and the EU on this question will begin in September, and then it will be possible more accurately to formulate the starting positions of both one and the other side.

Question: What is meant by a maximally lightened movement regime?

Answer: Today too the citizens of Russia who get into a car and go across Lithuania to the Kaliningrad oblast must obtain a Lithuanian visa. It is important that a person who goes there and back should feel no obstacles for movement. The thought which has been clearly expressed by the President of Russia and a number of leaders of European states is that there should exist no artificial barriers or complexities for communication between residents of Kaliningrad and of the other part of Russia. We will be building our positions around this.

Question: So far as can be judged, many states are supportive of Russia in this matter?

Answer: The Russian position is meeting with ever greater understanding. Very important is the opinion stated by French President Jacques Chirac, because the position of the European Union is formed from the position of each state and the influence of France in Europe, in the European Union is great. It is therefore very important that the president has taken a clear and distinct position on this question. We expect other countries to also act in a similar manner, then this would create a favorable background for the conduct of the negotiations. The heaviest obstacle is the bureaucracy of the very structure of the EU and not of the individual states which form it. International structures have their own specifics. We know perfectly well from our own experience that bureaucratic institutions have an ability either to quickly solve a matter or to solve nothing at all. It is therefore very important that those who elaborate the policy of the European Union should make up their minds on their stand on this question. I will cite as an example of how a complicated foreign policy problem can be solved the negotiations on the establishment of the Russia-NATO Council. They had proceeded with considerable difficulty until the leaders of major states defined their political vision of the problem. After there followed the letter of Tony Blair, where the parameters were clearly set out for the future Russia-NATO mechanism, and when the Canadian Prime Minister and then the Italian Prime Minister came up with their initiatives, the negotiation process started to go significantly more quickly.

Question: Taking into account the recent appointment of Dmitry Rogozin as the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the problems of the Kaliningrad oblast, how will functions be divided between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the special representative in the Russia-EU negotiations?

Answer: The problem of the Kaliningrad oblast is very many-sided, and various agencies are involved in solving it - the government, which has a purpose-oriented program for its development, and the State Duma. Of course, it is necessary that parliamentarians should take an active part in this work. So we will closely work with the special representative. Such was the case in the matter of Transnistrian settlement, when Yevgeny Maximovich Primakov performed the functions of the President's special representative at a certain stage. Each will be tackling his own questions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will negotiate on problems which fall within the competence of the diplomatic service. There are questions relating to the solution of economic and social problems. Here the competence rests with the bilateral Commission, which from our side is headed by Viktor Khristenko. Therefore, I think, there will be enough work for all.

Question: In relation to the problems of Kaliningrad and relations with the EU, won't it be required to introduce amendments to our legislation? We are ready for that? We have agreed with the countries the questions of extradition?

Answer: The more liberal the visa regime, the greater, naturally, must be cooperation between the countries and between the appropriate bodies responsible for ensuring security. This brings up the question of signing an agreement on readmission (that is, on the obligation to accept persons who have illegally crossed the border in one direction or other - Ed.). And our partners, especially European, are indeed raising this question. There now goes between us the inter-agency elaboration of a standard draft on readmission. Today practically all the EU countries are raising these questions, taking into account the struggle against illegal migration. It's another matter when we will be ready for it from the organizational and financial point of view. Here there are many questions that need to be tackled with regard to the size of our country and the fact that a considerable part of our borders is actually open. But there's no getting away from that.


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