Opinion: G8 Summit Has Limited Effect for Russia

Russians have complained about the West's negative view of their country for years. This year's G8 presidency was supposed to help bring Russia around the international corner with the help of the Kremlin's long-planned public relations campaign. It didn't hesitate to spend money on US PR consultancy Ketchum as an advisor. Putin's adversary Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his (now virtually defunct) oil company Yukos had proven before that the use of a western communications firm can help to promote one's views: One of the best agencies, APCO, still works for the oligarch that was sentenced by the Kremlin.

Putin "on message"

Thanks to the influence of the western advisors and Russian spin doctors, President Vladimir Putin and his ministers were part of every imaginable conference seminar ahead of the summit. From the mini summit of religious leaders, labor and union boss meetings to exclusive television interviews with media from all the G8 countries and even at the Internet conference organized by the BBC and Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Putin's message became clear: Russia is a stable, democratic and economically prosperous country that is entitled to participate in discussions about international affairs.

The emphasis the western media gave Russia's important economic role was one of the successes Putin and the Russian leadership were able to take away from the three-day meeting. An increased awareness of Russia's international and domestic policies also emerged in the West.

But Russia's lack of a fair judicial system in Putin's highly centralized government did not escape the media's notice, nor did the limits put on freedom of expression and the aggressive methods the government uses when dealing with opposition parties.

Whether Putin was actually successful in improving Russia's image remains open to debate. The West's uneasiness when it comes to domestic developments in Russia is still too strong, which will become clear during the coming parliamentary and presidential elections in 2007 and 2008, when Putin's successor is chosen. It is clear there's more that stands between Russia and the West than can be solved by a savvy public relations expert.

Failed economic goals

Putin also did not succeed in his second goal of integrating Moscow in the group of leading industrial nations when it comes to energy security. He got neither an approval for Russia's entrance to the World Trade Organization from US President George W. Bush nor a change the European position regarding an energy partnership. Europe's G8 members continue to insist that Russia ratify the so-called Energy Charter before Russian companies, including Gazprom, are allowed free access to the European market.

Instead there were only the general, non-binding and vaguely worded statements about a shared responsibility for the world's energy resources and calls for improved energy efficiency coming out of St. Petersburg. Though these points are far from inconsequential, they are still too insubstantial for a topic the Kremlin itself put on the G8 agenda.

In fact, a joint statement on violence in the Middle East was in some ways the only issue that saved Russia's first G8 summit from meaninglessness.