Finnish Prime Minister Says Brussels Wants To Have Dialogue With Moscow

The European Union wants to develop dialogue with Russia and establish cooperation on environmental issues, which may help build trust between Brussels and Moscow, Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) The European Union wants to develop dialogue with Russia and establish cooperation on environmental issues, which may help build trust between Brussels and Moscow, Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said.

"We [European Union] have a common line in relation to Russia, and we will follow it, without a doubt. At the same time, we want to have a dialogue with Russia and, for instance, cooperate on environmental issues," Rinne said in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper, when asked whether the European Union needed a new policy toward Russia.

The prime minister added that he had shared his idea of closer cooperation on environmental issues between the coastal states of the Baltic Sea with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"I hope that this will help establish trust between Russia and the European Union as well," Rinne said.

Rinne also expressed his hope that the European Union would be able to normalize its cooperation with Russia, but noted that such an improvement could occur only after the implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine crisis.