The European Union's attitude towards respect for human rights in Russia (1992-2000)

The article is devoted to the problem of observance of human rights in the Russian Federation in the period from 1992 to 2000 and the attitude of the European Union towards it. Attention is paid to the transformation of Russian legislation and the observance of international agreements by the Russian leadership, which aspired to join the European Union. The issue of decisions taken by Russia is especially considered: the abolition of the death penalty, respect for the rights of minorities and the development of democratic institutions. The question is raised about the conflict in the Caucasus region, according to which neither the Russian Federation nor the European Union found a compromise solution. The author considers the painful issue of bilateral negotiations between Russia and the European Union, during which one of the priority conditions for Russia's entry into the European community of nations was the observance of human rights in the Caucasus during the internal Russian conflict. The Caucasian question aggravated the Russian-European contradictions, which led to the prolongation of negotiations on Russia's accession to the EU. It is shown that the observance of human rights for the Russian side has become a complex issue for a number of reasons, and the European side has considered it as a manifestation of interference in the domestic policy of the Russian state.