During a foreign-policy debate in Sweden's parliament on February 14, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt expressed disappointment over certain developments in Russia, according to dpa. Bildt praised increased "business activity and human contacts" with Russia but said there have been some "steps backwards," dpa reported. "The political climate and the media climate [in Russia] alike have become less free," he said. "Sometimes we have seen examples of the language of force being used against neighboring states that have led us to react. We are still seeing breaches of human rights in Chechnya."

According to the German news agency, Bildt also mentioned the unsolved murders of Russian reporter Anna Politkovskaya and former security service officer Aleksandr Litvinenko. Bildt told reporters after the debate that he expects to host Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later this year, and that the controversial Russian-German Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline is likely to be a topic of their talks. Meanwhile, the SR International-Radio Sweden website (http://sr.se) reported on February 14 that "Swedish defense chiefs want to increase military resources inside the country after changing their assessment of the potential threat posed by Russia." It added: "The armed forces insist there is no sign that the risk of an attack has risen dramatically, but say factors like Russia's new economic strength and European energy issues must be taken into consideration."

The Finnish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has issued a report that similarly expresses concern about developments in Russia. The committee's chairwoman, Liisa Jaakonsaari, said Russia cannot yet be considered a "law-based state with a full-fledged democracy," newsru.com reported on February 14. "There is a lack of respect for human rights and various minorities, the judicial system is not independent, the activities of the mass media are restricted," she said. "Many murders of journalists and businessmen remain unsolved." JB