EU, Russia Should Focus On Economic Cooperation, Not Integration - German Politician

The European Union and Russia should focus on developing economic cooperation, rather than on creating a single economic space or engaging in a new arms race, Ralf Stegner, co-chair of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) The European Union and Russia should focus on developing economic cooperation, rather than on creating a single economic space or engaging in a new arms race, Ralf Stegner, co-chair of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), said on Thursday.

The remarks were made by him during the meeting with the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Russia's upper house of parliament, Konstantin Kosachev.

"Now there is a trend, with people speaking about a single economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok. However, it seems to me that rather than discussing this topic in detail, now it makes sense to focus on the development of our own economies and economic cooperation so that the funds will be directed to economic development, not armament," Stegner said.

He pointed out that economic cooperation needed to be developed to improve the situation in healthcare and other social sectors.

Despite some trade growth, the Russian-European economic relations remain in a deadlock over the EU sanctions, imposed on Russia after the eruption of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, as well as the food embargo, introduced by Moscow as a countermeasure.