site.btaPES President Stanishev: Russia, EU, China Do Not Stand to Gain from Escalation of Ukraine Crisis

PES President Stanishev:
Russia, EU, China Do Not
Stand to Gain from Escalation of Ukraine Crisis


Sofia/Beijing, September 2 (BTA) - Asked about his opinion on
China's position after meeting with senior officials and about
who stands to gain from the sanctions imposed on Russia, Sergei
Stanishev, President of the Party of European Socialists (PES),
said: "No one - Ukraine, Russia, the EU or China - stands to
gain from the Ukraine crisis. China sticks to the principle of
respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity." 

Stanishev is in China at the head of a PES delegation, BTA
learned from the press office of the Bulgarian Socialist Party
(BSP).

After meeting with Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee
 of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China's
Central Committee, Stanishev said China's policy towards the
Ukraine crisis was one of the key issues raised at his meetings
in Beijing.

The position of the European Socialists in the EU is that there
are some rock-solid principles: respect for Ukraine's
territorial integrity and de-escalation of the conflict, which
is extremely necessary now, said Stanishev.

He stressed that the world is witnessing the death of thousands
of innocent people every day, while internal refugees and
refugees to Russia are of the order of hundreds of thousands.

"This is turning into a humanitarian catastrophe. We insist on
the start of political dialogue as soon as possible, an end to
military actions, and de-escalation," Stanishev stated. For the
EU, sanctions are not desirable and cannot be a lasting
solution, they are a means of pressure and a call on Russia to
be more active. The same, however, should be demanded from
Ukraine.

The PES President also said: "We Bulgarians must never forget
that half a million ethnic Bulgarians live in Ukraine, and we
must stand up for their rights. The EU should be a constructive
force in achieving dialogue and a negotiated solution. This is
the only way out of this crisis."

According to Stanishev, Ukraine should carry out serious
internal reforms in order to become a homogeneous state. There
should be an internal political dialogue between the
representatives of the central authorities in Kiev, on the one
hand, and, on the other, the Russians and the other minorities
residing there, including the Bulgarian one, he observed.

Bulgaria should avoid risks related to the complex relations
between Ukraine and Russia, and this could happen only through
the EU. Asked about the Chinese-Russian agreement on the supply
of large amounts of gas, he replied that the Chinese have been
pursuing their interest and asked why Bulgaria cannot do the
same regarding South Stream.

"The Socialist Party's position is that the country needs this
project because these are investments in our economy; the money
will remain in Bulgaria," Stanishev stated.

In this way, Bulgaria's weight as a factor in the EU energy
policy would only increase from such a volume: 30,000 million cu
 m of gas that would be transmitted via its territory only in
the initial stage, the BSP leader also said. Stanishev outlined
the other aspect of this issue - the security of supplies to
Bulgaria. Stanishev recalled the 2009 crisis, when he was the
country's prime minister. The interruption of gus supplies for
two weeks caused losses of 200 million euro at the time.

"Now, given the complex relations between Russia and Ukraine,
there are serious risks, which should be avoided. According to
the South Stream project, the gas, which Russia wants to sell to
 the EU and which the EU needs, will run directly via Bulgarian
territory, which will bring diversification of routes and
strengthening of the security for our state and for its
supplies," Stanishev observed.

China's investments in Central and Eastern Europe and the
opening of new jobs topped the agenda of the talks between
Stanishev and Jiarui Wang, Director of the International
Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of
China.  

The PES President said that China as a new economic power also
receives many responsibilities on the international level. He
recalled that this year is the 65th anniversary of the
Bulgarian-Chinese diplomatic relations. "This is a good basis
and creates good relations," he said.

Stanishev's host said that Bulgaria was the first country to
recognize China, which makes relations between the two states
exceptionally warm and friendly.

Stanishev underscored that the economic side of the matter is
also of great importance, because China is the second biggest
importer of production in the EU and the bilateral economic ties
 are very important. He explained that for the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe this means many investments for the
development of infrastructure and production. He underscored
that he presented the Bulgarian interests at the talks, adding
that the attitudes are good and a lot can be achieved provided
that Bulgaria takes a systematic approach.
SN/DD,TK,DS/







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