Russia and the EU both need to understand that their neighborhood is shared and the countries of these neighborhood need to make independent decisions about their development paths, Spanish analyst Jos Boonstra, Head of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia programme at FRIDE Centre told Armenian News – NEWS.am. 

Responding to the question on whether he sees any conflict or contradiction between the Eastern Partnership programme and Russia's interests, Boonstra said:  “There is a conflict of interest. The EU seeks to develop stable long term partnerships based on democracy and economic development. Under the current Russian leadership Moscow seeks not to integrate with neighbours but to dominate potential partners.”

According to him, whereas the EU has sought to use instruments meant to help countries develop, Russia has used trade embargos, security provisions, and other sticks and carrots to bind countries to Russia's sphere of influence. “Eventually Russia and the EU both need to understand that their neighborhood is shared and the countries of these neighborhood need to make independent decisions about their development paths. The EU should not be restrained in its relationship with partners due to Russian aggression,” Jos Boonstra said.