EU Wants 5-Year Plan To Improve Relations With Russia - Ambassador

The European Union and Russia must make use of the coming five years to improve their bilateral relations, European Union's Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer said Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2020) The European Union and Russia must make use of the coming five years to improve their bilateral relations, European Union's Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer said Wednesday.

"I think we have to sit down seriously and look at the perspectives for five years at least because the [European] Commission's term is five years and also President [Vladimir] Putin's mandate is also until 2024. We have to decide whether we want to spend the next five years as the last five years or whether we find a new formula," Ederer said at the Gaidar Economic Forum in Moscow.

The Ambassador went on to note several areas in which both Russian and European interests appear to be converging, adding that this may serve as a basis for a detente in relations.

"We have seen a number of positive developments last year, Russia returning to the parliament assembly of the council of Europe, progress of Minsk process and we have seen successful trilateral gas negotiations. I think we built a basis of minimal trust where we proved to each other that we can do things together. I will certainly advocate in Brussels that we should use this window of opportunity. It takes two to tango," Ederer said.