Supplementary memorandum by Sir Mark Lyall
Grant, Political Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
EU-RUSSIA RELATIONS
Thank you for the opportunity to give evidence
on 19 July at the opening session of your inquiry into relations
between the EU and Russia. I am also pleased to see that plans
are underway for you and the Committee to visit Moscow and Brussels
after the summer break.
A few points arose during our evidence session
on which I thought you might welcome further detail.
We discussed the size of the Russian Mission
to the EU in Brussels. I promised to write with specific figures.
There are 51 registered diplomats working at the Russian Embassy
to the EU.
We also discussed the EU Border Assistance
Mission ("EU-BAM") on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.
The illegal regime in Transnistria is a centre for smuggling,
people trafficking, and organised crime. There have a damaging
effect on both Moldova and Ukraine. In December 2005, following
a request from the Presidents of Moldova and Ukraine, the EU established
EU-BAM to improve control of the Ukraine-Moldovan border, including
the Transnistria segment. EU-BAM currently has 63 staff, of whom
42 are field officers. These include two UK secondees, whose main
duties are to provide training and advice to Moldovan and Ukrainian
officials.
The EU has also appointed a Special Representative
for Moldova and, alongside the US, has joined settlement talks
as an active observer. Other participants in the mediation process
are Moldova, Transnistria, the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine (the meditation
process is not referred to as the "5 plus 2").
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