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Russian president urges Sweden to extradite Chechens

BETTER TIES: Sweden, one of Russia’s harshest critics on human rights, has softened its tone as its prime minister visits Moscow after 10 years

REUTERS , MOSCOW
Thursday, Mar 11, 2010, Page 6

But the issue failed to overshadow the first visit to Russia since 2000 by the Swedish prime minister, in which warming business ties took center stage.

At a joint news conference with Fredrik Reinfeldt, Medvedev shifted the discussion to the Chechens when the issue of human rights in the Caucasus came up.

“If we talk about the Caucasus, apart from the human rights situation there is another problem ... the bandits who found shelter in Sweden,” Medvedev said. “If we are talking about observing human rights, we also need to jointly fight crime.”

Sweden has been one of Russia’s harshest critics on human rights and foreign policy. After the 2008 invasion of Georgia, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt angered Moscow by drawing comparisons with the policies of Adolf Hitler.

Its refusal to extradite Aslan Adayev and Magomed Uspayev was denounced by Russia in 2008 as a “political offense.” But relations have warmed since Sweden agreed last year to allow Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline to cross its territorial waters.

Reinfeldt said the decision not to extradite the Chechens was based on international conventions, and the sides had agreed to differ.

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