Putin crackdown sparks unease in central

By Robert Anderson, Jan Cienski, Christopher Condon and Tom Warner Published: September 22 2004 03:00 Last updated: September 22 2004 03:00
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/ff882ca8-0c39-11d9-8318-00000e2511c8.html

Russian president Vladimir Putin's steps to restrict Russian democracy in the wake of the Beslan school siege are causing rising concern in much of central Europe, where memories of Russia's Soviet past remain strong.
//
While few people in the region see any imminent prospect of Russian tanks roaring back towards central Europe, there is a sense of unease about the direction chosen by Mr Putin. Earlier this month he unveiled plans to abolish direct elections for the country's 89 regional governors, eliminate local candidates in parliamentary elections and strengthen the role of the security services.
Calling Mr Putin's steps "worrying", Adam Rotfeld, Poland's deputy foreign minister, said: "It is in our interest for Russia to be democratic and strong. But it is obvious that Russians and Putin believe that Russia can either be democratic or it can be strong."
Concern about Russia's path has both political and economic overtones.
Economically, central Europe is dependent on Russian energy exports. About half of Poland's natural gas and 95 per cent of its oil comes from Russia. The danger of relying too much on one supplier became clear in February, when Poland found its gas imports briefly interrupted because of a dispute between Russia and Belarus. "Worry over energy dependence is a constant factor in Polish political life," said Aleksander Smolar, president of the Stefan Batory Foundation, a Warsaw-based think-tank.
There are also frictions with Russia over non-energy trade. Poland is locked in a dispute with Russia over exports of meat and milk.
Mr Putin's grip-tightening could have a more direct impact on the region if he begins to increase Moscow's influence over Belarus and Ukraine. "If those countries lose a greater measure of their independence, suddenly Hungary and Poland become Russia's near-abroad. That would have clear ramifications," said Sebastian Gorka, director of the Institute for Transitional Democracy and International Security, a Budapest-based think-tank.
In Ukraine, there has been no official reaction to Mr Putin's latest shift and very little public discussion. However, some opposition politicians have warned that a move towards autocracy in Russia could strengthen a similar trend in Ukraine.
Mr Putin's Ukrainian critics accuse him of interfering in their presidential election campaign in support of the government candidate, Viktor Yanukovich.
Concerns also exist in Romania. According to Dorel Sandor, director of Bucharest's Centre for Political Studies and Comparative Analysis, even as a member of Nato Romania is careful to consider Moscow's reaction to any big policy proposal.
"Russia remains a ghost for Romanian foreign policy," said Mr Sandor.
A specific worry for Romania lies in neighbouring Moldova, a Soviet republic until 1991 that continues to host Russian troops. Moldova was once part of Romania and retains close links to it, but the country is also home to a Russian minority in the breakaway region of Trans Dnester.
Bucharest is keen to discourage separatism in Trans Dnester, but the government has had little luck in engaging Moscow over the issue. "In this context, Putin's more rigid policies are not good news for Romania," said Mr Sandor.
Politicians in the Czech Republic have refrained from criticising Mr Putin, but there is little fear of an increasingly authoritarian Russia.
"Now with the Czech Republic in the European Union and Nato we feel so secure and separated from Russia that no one is worried," said Jiri Pehe, a political commentator and former adviser to ex-president Vaclav Havel. Feelings are similar in Slovakia.
Josef Zieleniec, a Czech member of the European parliament and a former foreign minister, called on the EU and new member states from the former Soviet bloc in particular to become more engaged as Russia "moves towards a non-European type of democracy".