Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner meet in Moscow May 21, 2008.
Photo: Reuters
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E.U., Russia to Negotiate New Agreement Soon
The European Union will soon agree to set to negotiations with Russia on concluding a new partnership and cooperation agreement. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the respective statement Wednesday referring to the Moscow talks with Foreign Minister of France Bernard Kouchner.
The previous partnership and cooperation agreement of Russia and the European Union expired in December of 2007. Russia’s clashes with Poland and then with Lithuania have prevented the parties from inking a new document.
“Bernard Couchner told us today that the European Union will be ready to sanction the mandate for negotiations with Russia in the nearest days,” Lavrov said. Moscow will set to negotiations as soon as it happens, the minister specified.
Poland was the first to block the negotiations in response to Russia’s ban on the imports of its meat. That dispute was sorted out in December but Lithuania stepped in pressurizing for specifying in the document the problems related to frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova.
www.kommersant.com
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