(RFE/RL) — René van der Linden, who heads the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said at the University of Vilnius on September 25 that it is easier for Lithuania to adapt to Russia than for Russia to adapt to Lithuania, dpa reported. He noted that "it is easier to reform your country than to reform Russia.... If Europe speaks about human rights in Russia, it means [to Moscow that Brussels is] meddling in its domestic politics."

He said he regrets that the EU has lost unspecified opportunities to help Russia reform its institutions. Van der Linden was concluding a trip to the Baltic states, during which he stressed issues related to their treatment of their respective Russian-speaking minorities and their relations with Moscow.

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