Lavrov, EU's Borrell give joint press conference in Moscow. EU to keep debating Russian ties, Navalny, says Borrell. https://www.eudebates.tv/debates/eu-policies/enlargement-and-foreign-affairs/sergey-lavrov-eu-debates-with-josep-borrell-in-moscow/
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles hold a joint press conference after bilateral meeting in Moscow on Friday, February 5.
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The top diplomats are expected to discuss the relations between the EU and Russia, including current developments in the Balkans, in the Middle East, North Africa and Commonwealth of Independent States.
Prospects for a joint comprehensive action plan on the Iran’s nuclear programme, current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, security issues in Europe and other topics are also expected to be on the agenda.
There is no formal proposal for new European Union sanctions on Russia after the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, but EU foreign ministers and leaders will continue to discuss relations with Russia, the EU’s top diplomat said on Friday.
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Russia: Remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the joint press conference with Foreign Minister Lavrov
Thank you Minister [for Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei] Lavrov for your invitation and for the opportunity to have a frank and open discussion. It has been an intense discussion and is still not finished. We will continue talking about other issues after this press conference.
The purpose of my visit today is to discuss the challenges we are facing, including issues where our views diverge and to listen to each other’s concerns.
We have to recognise that, over the last years, our relations have been marked by fundamental differences and a lack of trust. We are seeing each other more as a competitor or rival, rather than a partner.
And yet, the European Union is Russia’s first trading partner. The European Union is Russia’s greatest source of foreign direct investment.
Russian students are among the largest group of beneficiaries of the Erasmus Plus programme and university exchanges. And most of the European Union Schengen visas are issued to Russian citizens.
Russia is our biggest neighbour; it is part of Europe. Engagement with Russia is therefore of key importance for the European Union.
However, events both at home and abroad make it difficult to have the relationship that we dreamt of in the 1990s, when we talked about a Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok. This is today much more difficult than 20 or 30 years ago.
My visit coincides with the arrest and sentencing of Alexei Navalny, and the arrest of thousands of demonstrators. As you can expect, I have conveyed to Minister Lavrov our deep concern and reiterated our appeal for his release and the launch of an impartial investigation over his poisoning.
