Russia Should Not Counteract 'Magnitsky Bill' — Federation Council
- JRL 2012-110
MOSCOW. June 18 (Interfax) - Endorsement of the 'Magnitsky bill' by the US Congress will have no effect on Russia-U.S. relations and Russia should not take retaliatory measures, the Federation Council thinks.
There have been ups and downs and even the Cold War in the bilateral relations, Federation Council Vice-Speaker Svetlana Orlova told Interfax.
"I think the 'Magnitsky bill' situation has an exclusively political flavor; it is rooted in the upcoming presidential election. Although U.S. President Barack Obama is not interested in a sudden deterioration in relations with Moscow, he has to support the initiative of the Senators. Naturally, the Obama Administration is not prepared to have a serious altercation with the Senate, even for the sake of relations with Russia, shortly before the election," she said.
Orlova thinks that Russia should abstain from retaliatory measures. "We have our own path. Russia is a great nation and we are not going to make excuses or, especially, retaliate for something," she said.
The biggest virtue of a politician is the ability to find a compromise and to reach an agreement, she said. "I do not doubt that the endorsement of the 'Magnitsky bill' will have no serious effect on our relations. Attempts to put pressure on Russia, which the U.S. took regularly in the past, are not the most productive method," Orlova said.
Federation Council Legal Affairs and Judiciary Committee member Mikhail Kapura agreed with her opinion.
"No one has the right to demand anything from Russia, which keeps within the national legal framework. All the necessary investigative procedures were carried out in the Magnitsky case, the investigation was complete and relevant decisions were made," he said.
Kapura agrees that Russia should not respond to such things as the adoption of the 'Magnitsky bill'. "If U.S. Congressmen and Senators wish to restrict our citizens ability to travel, that is their business, but we should not accentuate or, especially, suggest counter measures. We should not let ourselves do that. We have many more points of contact than disagreements with the United States," he said.
That is an unpleasant situation, a fly in the ointment, but it is not dramatic, he said.
Sooner or later "the Magnitsky story will stop being topical, like that has happened to the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. The amendment did not prevent Russia from living and developing. The 'Magnitsky list' is no more than a mosquito bite," he said.
Keywords: U.S.-Russian Relations - Russia, Assassinations, Beatings, Prison Deaths - Russian News - Russia
MOSCOW. June 18 (Interfax) - Endorsement of the 'Magnitsky bill' by the US Congress will have no effect on Russia-U.S. relations and Russia should not take retaliatory measures, the Federation Council thinks.
There have been ups and downs and even the Cold War in the bilateral relations, Federation Council Vice-Speaker Svetlana Orlova told Interfax.
"I think the 'Magnitsky bill' situation has an exclusively political flavor; it is rooted in the upcoming presidential election. Although U.S. President Barack Obama is not interested in a sudden deterioration in relations with Moscow, he has to support the initiative of the Senators. Naturally, the Obama Administration is not prepared to have a serious altercation with the Senate, even for the sake of relations with Russia, shortly before the election," she said.
Orlova thinks that Russia should abstain from retaliatory measures. "We have our own path. Russia is a great nation and we are not going to make excuses or, especially, retaliate for something," she said.
The biggest virtue of a politician is the ability to find a compromise and to reach an agreement, she said. "I do not doubt that the endorsement of the 'Magnitsky bill' will have no serious effect on our relations. Attempts to put pressure on Russia, which the U.S. took regularly in the past, are not the most productive method," Orlova said.
Federation Council Legal Affairs and Judiciary Committee member Mikhail Kapura agreed with her opinion.
"No one has the right to demand anything from Russia, which keeps within the national legal framework. All the necessary investigative procedures were carried out in the Magnitsky case, the investigation was complete and relevant decisions were made," he said.
Kapura agrees that Russia should not respond to such things as the adoption of the 'Magnitsky bill'. "If U.S. Congressmen and Senators wish to restrict our citizens ability to travel, that is their business, but we should not accentuate or, especially, suggest counter measures. We should not let ourselves do that. We have many more points of contact than disagreements with the United States," he said.
That is an unpleasant situation, a fly in the ointment, but it is not dramatic, he said.
Sooner or later "the Magnitsky story will stop being topical, like that has happened to the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. The amendment did not prevent Russia from living and developing. The 'Magnitsky list' is no more than a mosquito bite," he said.