EU high representative speaks on fair elections, Russia

EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton stated at the September 11 European Parliament plenary session that "we are paying special attention to the election process in the region– especially in Georgia," she said. "When we met with the Georgian president, we sent specific messages to the opposition and said clearly that we want a good electoral process." She said the EU must make sure that everything goes very well when sending observers to Georgia.

"We will send observers to make sure that the country's future is guaranteed," Ashton said.

In her speech, Ashton strictly criticized Russia and slammed it for oppressing freedom of speech and expression. Ashton reiterated EU criticism of what she called the "disproportionate" sentence of three members of the Pussy Riot punk band jailed for two years for their antigovernment performance at a Moscow cathedral.

She said the Pussy Riot case and other recent developments in Russia constitute "a trend of great concern" for the EU. Ashton also underlined that recently, the Russian parliament passed legislation that aims to "further reduce the available space for independent, civil, and political activity in the country."