Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee in the State Duma, or Russia's lower parliamentary house, who led the Russian delegation to the Krynica forum, has pointed out in a RIA interview that the event turned out "serious and authoritative," with representatives of the Arab world involved in the debate alongside Central and Eastern European officials.
The Krynica forum was held following the accession to the EU of eight Central and Eastern European member nation, Kosachev pointed out. It focused on the relations between Russia and the new Europe. "Nearly a half of all discussions at Krynica were centered around Russia," our interviewee said.
In Kosachev's opinion, now that they have joined the EU, the eight Central and Eastern European nations are not as easy for Russia to cooperate with as they used to be. According to him, the Warsaw Pact countries and the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) are still suffering from "Russian neo-imperialism" phobias and fears, and it will take them some time to overcome those fears.
Commenting on the representativeness of the Russian delegation to Krynica, Kosachev said that it was in line with "the level and the prestige of the forum itself." Russia's 160-member delegation proved the strongest, he noted.
