Ban, Juncker’s speeches in St. Petersburg likely to rile Russia-critics
June 17, 2016, 5:22 am

Russian President Vladimir Putin met UN Chief Ban Ki-moon in St. Petersburg, Russia on 16 June 2016 [Image: PPIO]

Ban was attending an economic summit in Russia. Both Ban and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke of “building bridges” even as NATO and Moscow continued exchanging barbs this week.

The 20th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum opened on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin urging more global interaction to solve economic problems.

The three-day forum is being attended by over 10,000 participants, including government and business leaders. Top officials of the BRICS Business Forum and the BRICS New Development Bank are also attending the SPIEF.

On Thursday, at the summit themed “Capitalizing on the New Global Economic Reality”, guests spoke on wide-ranging issues including Western sanctions against Russia.

Both the UN Chief and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for dialogue between Western countries and Russia.

“We see countries breaking ties and building new walls or barriers …We need to strengthen ties and build bridges instead of walls,” Ban said.

Ban’s delivered speech was watered down from an earlier prepared version that read Russia “has a critical role to play … in addressing other pressing global issues, from ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, to safeguarding human rights and controlling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

Ukraine said it was outraged by the speech and Ukrainian envoy Volodymyr Yelchenko attacked Ban for praising Russia saying he “cannot be a provider of good offices”.

Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric was quoted by Reuters as saying there was no question of taking back Ban’s comments.

“The fact is … the Russian Federation is a permanent member of the Security Council and has a critical role to play,” Dujarric said. “We’re not going to walk back what we said.”

Meanwhile, European Commission President Juncker said the implementation of the Minsk deal, signed in February 2015 to settle the Ukraine crisis, is the only way to lift the sanctions against Russia, adding that dialogue should be maintained and bridges built.

The EU is a divided house ahead of July talks on renewing the bloc’s sanctions against Russia.

“There are those who like the idea (of me being) here and those who don’t like the idea. I like the idea,” Juncker said at the forum.

“I have come to Russia because I wanted to see you. Some people in Europe did not approve of this idea, but it appealed to me because it is precisely when we have problems between us that we should meet and talk,” Juncker said later at a meeting with Putin.

Russian President Putin on Thursday stressed on  “the potential of international integration structures”.

“The global economy is increasingly impacted by political and social factors … It is vital that we work together in our search for additional drivers of development,” Putin said in a greeting read at the opening ceremony of the three-day forum.

Vladimir Putin met with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in St. Petersburg on 16 June 2016 [PPIO]

Discussions at the forum would provide guidance and consensus for Russian and global economic development, and give impetus to all-round international cooperation, Putin said.

This time’s gathering also involves sub-forums of regional and international organizations like the Group of 20 (G20), BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

During the G20 Business 20 Forum, experts, business leaders and officials from various countries discussed issues including infrastructure, employment, development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as finance and investment.

At the warm-up of the upcoming G20 Summit, to be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou in September, Chinese Internet giant Alibaba’s chairman Jack Ma promoted the initiative of establishing a new global e-commerce platform, the Electronic World Trade Platform or e-WTP.

Ma said that the e-WTP could become an “e-road” that better connects global SMEs through logistics and inclusive financing.

The digital trade route would lead to the establishment of various “e-hubs” in different countries, and improve the global environment for investment and economic development, Ma said.

The 20th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is widely regarded in Russia as a chance for the country to mend its ties with Western countries.

Juncker’s visit is a good sign, but no breakthrough should be expected, said Andrei Klimov, deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russia’s Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament.

TBP and Agencies