Lavrov and Bildt on track for new EU deal
Just some few days after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Sweden’s Carl Bildt in Murmansk, the talks between the two are closer to conclude a new partnership and cooperation agreement between Russia and EU.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt – whose country holding the rotating EU presidency – confirmed at the news conference after yesterday’s meeting with Sergey Lavrov in Brussels that EU really is interested in developing its partnership with Russia.
At his blog, Carl Bildt writes that the talks about topics for the up-comming EU-Russian summit started with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov in Murmansk last week.
In Murmansk last Thursday, Carl Bildt took over the chair of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council from Sergey Lavrov. Environment and climate change will be the main Swedish focus areas in the two-year period, Mr. Bildt said at the Barents Council meeting, quoted by BarentsObserver.
While Sweden is highlighting climate issues both in its position as chair of the Barents Council and in its EU presidency, Russia is of somewhat different opinion about what is important tasks.
Quoted by Radio Free Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated on yesterday’s meeting in Brussels that Russia is unwilling to back the EU’s ambitious goals for a global climate summit in Copenhagen in December. Instead he focused on regional and global security concerns, urging the EU to collaborate with Russia.
Yesterday’s Brussels meeting between Bildt and Lavrov is a part of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council.
The EU-Russia Summit is to be held in Stockholm on 18 November.
Climate issues and energy security is expected to be two of the important issues discussed at the Summit, according to the website of the Swedish Presidency of EU.
