Today, the Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Michael Roth, said in Brussels that Russia is a neighbor of the European Union, which is why it is necessary to build relationships with it.
"We strive to rebuild reliable relations with the Russian Federation. Russia is our neighbor. We must be persistent in regard to our demands, for example, on the issue of implementation of the Minsk agreements," the state minister said.
"For example, an important role is played by civil society. Germany wants to make a contribution to ensure that the exchange at the level of civil societies is enhanced," TASS cited him as saying.
Roth also drew attention to the fact that the EU must act together in relation to Russia.
Earlier, it was reported that European foreign ministers will discuss the development of a new strategy for relations with Russia at a meeting in Brussels today.
"Now we have no common vision of relations with Russia, there are only sanctions, but it cannot last forever," a source said. According to him, "we need a new normal – a long-term strategy of cooperation with Russia in the new environment."
A Russian diplomatic source also noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry intends "to carry out an inventory" of relations with the EU in the near future.
The President of the International Union of experts, Professor Alexander Gusev, said in conversation with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza that "first of all Europe needs to get rid of the US influence". "In my opinion, the Europeans have a common, consolidated understanding of how to build cooperation with our country. But if we, and the US influence on the other, I think that the first scale with the positions of the leaders of the Old European countries, such as France, Germany and the UK, will outweigh," the professor said.
As the expert explained, the fact is that the countries, which jointly took a decision on the anti-Russian sanctions, suffer from their effects differently. "The EU countries take on the consequences of the anti-Russian sanctions separately. Therefore, countries, which are not too strong in economic terms, such as Austria, Greece, Spain, Italy and especially Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, are seriously affected," he noted.
Gusev stressed that "a decrease of turnover is quite substantial for Europeans. Therefore, more and more often we hear calls to review the trade and economic relations with Russia. Not only Russia but also Europe talk about restoring our relations, because they gradually see that it's impossible to build something functional in Europe without Russia," he said.
The expert drew attention to the fact that the new model of relations should be built only together with Russia. "The EU and its countries cannot build these relations alone. The new concept must be developed jointly and it should contain three points. Firstly, the creation of a unified system of European security. Secondly, a stable volume of trade between our countries and the creation of a free trade zone between Russia and the EU. Thirdly, the humanitarian component, the signing of an agreement on partnership and cooperation," he concluded.
A senior research officer of the Center for European Studies (University) at the Moscow State University of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Olenchenko, believes that the European Union is politically split now and needs a 'brainstorm' to develop a new common position. "Let me remind you that during the time of the signing of the partnership agreement between Russia and the European Union in 1997, there were 15 founding countries of the Union, and then relations lined up in the direction of the partnership. Then, the EU has expanded to 28 countries, divided into groups, which have their own opinions, different from the views of Germany and France. What is happening now is an attempt to provide an opportunity for everyone to express their thoughts," the expert said.
According to him, there are several options for further developments. "The first option is a return to the implementation of the partnership agreement of 1997. It expired in 2010, although there are no barriers to using it. Accordingly, it is necessary to determine whether the restrictions are part of a permanent policy or a temporary one. Also, when we say that the European Union is planning its actions with regard to Russia, we must remember that Russia is also planning its actions in relation to the EU. I think that we will make a sort of inventory of contacts with the EU in the near future," Vladimir Olenchenko expects.
