Difficult EU-Russia talks
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and nine fellow commissioners will meet with their Russian counterparts, including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev, on this Friday. The visit is the first in this format since 2004.
According to Marc Franco, the head of the EU’s delegation in Moscow, on the agenda will be trade, energy and visa issues, as well as the situation in the south Caucasus, the Moscow Times reports. The top-level meeting takes place ahead of the February 13 scheduled negotiations on a new EU-Russia partnership agreement. The next EU-Russia top meeting is due in Prague in May.
