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Strings Attached to EU Aid?

In the event of its providing financial support to the European Union, Russia must set a number of conditions for the further development of economic relations between Moscow and Brussels, Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma foreign policy committee, said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta published Friday, Interfax reported.

"It seems to me that if it does decide to help Europe, Russia could accompany its decision with a certain amount of wishes concerning our economic relations with Europe and opportunities for investing Russian capital in various sectors of the European economy," Pushkov said.

"Our Western friends have this technique: When they provide so-called assistance to Russia, they set a whole host of financial, economic and sometimes political conditions," he said.

(MT)

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