Mogherini Emphasizes Continuation of Sanctions Against Russia During First Official Visit to Moscow

Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, told Russian officials that the EU seeks better relations with the country but cannot overlook the annexation of Crimea, and sanctions against Russia will continue. On Monday, April 23, during her first official visit to Moscow as the EU's foreign policy chief, she participated in a joint press conference with the Russian Foreign Minister after discussions. Mogherini noted that cooperation between Russia and the EU has not stopped, and the EU desires better relations, but issues such as Ukraine and Syria have made improving relations very difficult. She added, 'In a situation where there are sanctions against the other side, it is unlikely that we can consider each other as strategic partners.' The EU, the US, and several other countries imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Additionally, the West has imposed sanctions on Russia due to its support for rebels in eastern Ukraine, which has resulted in over 9,900 deaths since April 2014. In this context, Mogherini stated that EU sanctions 'are not an end in themselves' but aim to end the war and crisis in Ukraine. Another point of disagreement between Lavrov and Mogherini was the recent chemical attack in Syria using sarin gas. This attack, which occurred in Idlib province, killed over 80 people, many of whom were children. Mogherini emphasized that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons must conduct transparent and public investigations into the use of chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhoun. She reminded that the war in Syria has caused significant civilian casualties, but when it comes to the use of chemical weapons, we are facing a different level of crime. Mogherini added that if the nature of the use of chemical weapons is established, we can determine the extent of war crimes, which is why the EU calls for complete and transparent investigations in this regard. Western governments believe that the Khan Sheikhoun attack was carried out by the Syrian government, while Russia claims that Assad's opponents were involved in this attack. On Monday, Sergei Lavrov, in a joint press conference with Mogherini, welcomed the investigation of this attack by experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, emphasizing that Moscow and Damascus sent evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Assad's opponents to the organization four months ago. Criticism of the persecution of homosexuals in Chechnya: The EU's foreign policy chief criticized Russia during this press conference for evidence of violence and persecution against gay men in Chechnya, stating that it is the duty of the Russian government to protect the rights of all its citizens. Mogherini said, 'We expect the Russian Federation to fulfill its obligations to protect the rights of all citizens and respect human rights standards.' She added that she raised these points in discussions with Sergei Lavrov. A report published on April 1 in the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta indicated that recently more than 100 men in Chechnya were detained on suspicion of homosexuality, and at least three of them were killed. Since then, gay men from Chechnya have shared their experiences of fleeing persecution and violence in the region with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other media. This region has been ruled with violence and an iron fist by Ramzan Kadyrov for over a decade and enjoys the support of the Russian central government. These reports have raised significant concerns in the West, and many have called for Kadyrov's removal, but a spokesperson for Vladimir Putin claimed that there is no evidence to support these reports. In this press conference, Sergei Lavrov criticized Mogherini's remarks, stating that as long as multi-issue negotiations between Russia and the EU are not resumed, Moscow is unwilling to negotiate separately on human rights with the EU.