EU should not interfere in Russia-India relations – Russian Embassy in India

Russian Embassy in India strongly recommended the European Union not to interfere in Russia-India relations, following the EU's comments that India should "persuade" Moscow over events in Ukraine.

“The reported call of the European Union’s envoy to India to ‘persuade’ Russia over events in Eastern regions of the Ukraine is a case of sheer duplicity and sly distortion of the core reasons which led to the intra-Ukrainian conflict,” the Russian embassy said in a statement.

“It must be reminded that those were not the people of Donetsk and Lugansk who unleashed the bloody fratricidal war but precisely the Kiev authorities who chose the all-out war against its own people instead of launching a nationwide dialogue and dutifully implementing the core principles of the Minsk Agreements – constitutional reform, decentralization and self-rule for Eastern regions. With tacit support of the US and EU a violent coup d’état took place in Kiev in February 2014,” the statement said.

“The European Union should retrospect on its own policy of appeasement instead of trying to seek India’s services in persuading Russia to do something. Such kind of “persuasion” is alien to Russia-India relations,” it further added.

“Our special and privileged strategic partnership has no relation to the West’s blunders in their policies towards the Ukraine and Kiev’s self-induced crisis. We highly value India’s balanced and independent approach to this issue, the embassy underlined.  The necessity of an inclusive Ukrainian dialogue, peaceful resolution of the conflict, through talks, and non-acceptance of the notorious and counterproductive sanctions – are not these components of India’s position consonant with the stand taken by Russia, and, partly, by the EU itself?”

‘The EU should better think how to pay that country’s bills for natural gas and bail out its economy from falling into the abyss. And, lastly, a piece of friendly advice – do not try to meddle in Russia-India relations. They are immune to such kind of unsolicited and impolite interventions from outside,” the statemen said.

Russia's strong reaction came after EU Ambassador Joao Cravinho said, "India's privileged relations with Russia and longstanding relationship with it should build the basis for promotion of a greater understanding (on the issue). We hope that India, in its interactions with Russia, should express concerns with regard to territorial integrity (of Ukraine), with regard to maintenance of ceasefire agreements that was agreed upon."

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