VOA标准英语2008年-Russian, EU Leaders Discuss Energy and Security

Energy and security dominated the Russia-EU Summit in Western Siberia, where Kremlin leader Dmitri Medvedev called for creation of all-European institutions to replace long-standing structures, including NATO. VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports.
　
Dmitry Medvedev gives a press conference at EU-Russia summit in Siberian town of Khanty-Mansiysk, 27 June 2008

European Union leaders held their first meeting with Dmitri Medvedev in his capacity as Kremlin leader in the western Siberian town of Khanti Mansiysk, which pumps oil and gas for Europe and supplies Russia with much of its newfound energy wealth.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso acknowledged EU dependence¹ on Russian energy during a joint² news conference at the end of the two-day summit.

"Russia will remain a key energy supplier for the European Union, and the European Union will remain Russia's most important export market," he said. "In other words we are, and I believe in the future will continue to be, even more interdependent. Our common goal, therefore, should be to make this a win-win situation."

All sides agreed to meet in Brussels on July 4 for talks on a new EU-Russian cooperation agreement. President Medvedev said the new accord should serve as a brief framework for relations and should not go into excessive details. The current agreement between Moscow and Brussels is 11 years old.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said contemporary challenges, including climate change, terrorism, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction cannot be resolved without EU and Russian participation³. Solana also praised President Medvedev for helping⁴ the European Union hold talks with Iran. He added that Brussels would cooperate with Moscow in the Middle East, and would also help resolve so-called frozen conflicts that fester in areas of the former Soviet⁵ Union.

"We've talked about Georgia and we are going to cooperate about that; we've talked about Moldova and we're going to cooperate about that; we've talked about Middle East - important issue - and in that I would like to say that the cooperation of Moscow - of the Russian Federation⁶ - is fundamental," he said.

In an apparent attempt to increase Russian influence in Europe at the expense of the United States, President Medvedev said it is banal⁷ but true that the continent is the common home of all who live there.

The Russian leader says security responsibilities should not be passed onto neighbors. He says all European security issues, including missile defense⁸ and the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty should be decided⁹ collectively.

Russia rejects Washington's argument that a proposed Central European missile defense system is designed to guard against an Iranian attack. Angered by Washington's push for the system, Moscow has suspended its participation in the CFE treaty, which limits the amount of conventional weapons a signatory can deploy¹⁰ in Europe.

Mr. Medvedev reiterated¹¹ his proposal for talks to create a new universal European security structure, saying all of Europe's existing institutions are limited or outdated¹². These include NATO, which has expanded closer to Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has criticized Russian election procedures.

Russian officials say Moscow may host its next EU-Russian summit even deeper in Asia.

 

1 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 banal   

adj.陈腐的，平庸的

参考例句：

• Making banal remarks was one of his bad habits.他的坏习惯之一就是喜欢说些陈词滥调。
• The allegations ranged from the banal to the bizarre.从平淡无奇到离奇百怪的各种说法都有。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

11 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

12 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。