How Czechs see Russia

After the funeral of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin on Wednesday in Moscow, Lubos Palata was prompted to explore the Czechs' feelings towards Russia. He points out that they misguidely no longer perceive Russia as a European nation. "Russia is a member of the Council of Europe. It recognises the authority of the European Court for Human Rights and has abolished the death penalty. And with the exception of Chodorkovsky, there are no political prisoners in the real sense of the word. Nonetheless, there are no truly free and democratic elections or media. Moreover, Russia is waging a brutal war against Chechen separatists... We consider ourselves superiour to the Russians and Russia. But if you look closely this is not really true. We did not become European simply by joining NATO and the EU. We should therefore show more understanding for the Russians and their problems on their path to becoming a free society than others do."

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