By Nenad Radicevic

The European Union launched its Eastern partnership with six former Soviet republics in Prague on May 7th despite Russia partly considers this kind of moves as the EU trying to muscle in on Russian sphere of influence. The EU made the concrete plan to build closer political and economic ties with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, which includes financial support of 600 million euros up to 2013 aiming to promote democratic reform, economic integration and energy security in the six states. However, it seems that the EU has a strategic interest to have economically, politically and socially stable partners in the six countries due to its aim to limit its heavy dependence on Russian gas by supplying natural gas directly from Caspian region.

"This project is not against anybody, whoever thinks it is against somebody is wrong. We have explained this to the Russian leadership at many levels," said EU High representative for common foreign and security policy Javier Solana at the press conference after the Eastern Partnership summit in Prague, rejecting that this action is against Russia.

However, Russian Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov said one day before the Prague summit he wanted to believe the EU was not trying to build a power base on Russia`s borders. 

"We shared our concerns that there are those who may wish to present the invited participants with the choice: either you are with Russia, or with the European Union," he said and warned against the creation of "new dividing lines" in Europe.

According to outgoing Czech Prime Minister and summit host Mirek Topolanek, the current political climate in Europe is not comparable to the Cold War era. The Eastern Partnership project, he explained, "should not be a renewal of two blocs East and West, it should not be a fight for influence."

Besides, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende underlined that under paragraph 12 of the Eastern Partnership declaration "third countries" such as Russia can take part in "concrete" Eastern Partnership projects.

The Eastern Partnership was originally an initiative of Poland and Sweden, which was officially taken over by the European Commission in December 2008 and endorsed by the European Council in March this year. This project aims to complete the EU`s foreign policy towards Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus by developing a specific Eastern aspect of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Despite the six countries have preferred the initiative is called East European Partnership, its name is Eastern Partnership because the European Commission and EU member states had tried to make a difference from the European Association Agreements with Central and East European countries, which contained the perspective of EU membership. Except that, some of Eastern Partnership goals, such as visa-free travel for the six countries` citizens, are defined as "long-term goals" on insisting of EU members such as Germany.

The Eastern Partnership offers new association agreements for those partners that have made sufficient progress towards democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and principles of market economy, sustainable development and good governance; better economic integration with the EU with the objective of establishing free trade areas; increased mobility through visa facilitation and readmission agreements; strengthened energy security cooperation; and specific programmes addressing economic and social development in the partner countries.

However, many analysts pointed out that the Eastern Partnership`s financial support of 600 million euros was relatively modest compared to the risks of political and economic instability in the six partner countries.

War and political conflict in Georgia, political and economic cataclysm in Ukraine, riots in Moldova, Lack of democracy and respect of human rights in Belarus, and disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh region underscore the great need for action, but some of analysts have doubts whether the Eastern Partnership would be successful strategy.

While opponents said that the Partnership in some way legitimised the Belarusian autocratic regime, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said isolating any nation was counterproductive.

"If you have a country that is not at our standards of democracy and our values, should you ignore them? I think that is the wrong approach," Swedish Prime Minister said.

The EU, however, has great interest to increase its options for building new gas pipelines in the South Caucasus and on account of that the Eastern Partnership meeting was followed up with an energy summit aimed at opening a "southern corridor" for alternative energy supplies, mainly via the long-planned Nabucco pipeline, which should bring Caspian natural gas to Europe. 

According to the final document of the summit, the concept for the Southern Corridor is complementary to other existing energy partnerships and projects of the EU, and is open for the participation and contribution of third parties on a case-by-case basis. It defines the Southern Corridor vision "as a modern Silk Road interconnecting countries and people" in the region, which is expected to "act as a catalyst for further co-operation in other areas," including transport.

Leaders from Europe and from important gas producers and transit countries - Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia - have signed the deal which envisions the creation of a Caspian Development Corporation, a central EU gas-buying consortium, and new terms for the transport of Caspian gas.

"We envisage this as a new silk road where we`ll see the flow of information, goods, people and energy in both ways," said Mirek Topolanek, whose country hosted the meeting of leaders in Prague.

World number four gas owner Turkmenistan, however, did not sign the EU declaration pledging future gas volumes for Nabucco, while media reports that official Ankara indicates the EU risks continued energy dependency on Russia unless it unblocks EU accession talks with Turkey.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul promised to close an inter-governmental agreement in June on building the Nabucco gas pipeline through his country, but he linked it to the EU`s opening the energy chapter of Turkey`s accession negotiations, blocked by Cyprus due to a long-standing territorial dispute.

"In order to be more successful, it is of great importance that co-operation and solidarity exist on both sides. We believe the opening of the negotiations on the energy chapter will accordingly provide great benefits," said Gul.

In line to make stronger ties with Eastern partners and its energy security, the European Union will face a lot of challenges in future. A cause of some of them lies in the fact that EU officials will "play" in the area which Russia considers as its "backyard".