During the conversation held via videoconference they touched on topical issues of Russia-EU relations.
Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin had a meeting with Head of the European Union Mission in the Russian Federation Markus Ederer.
During the conversation, conducted via videoconference, they dealt with some pressing aspects of relations between the Russian Federation and the European Union.
Grigory Karasin emphasised that in recent years there had been a marked increase in the pile of problems in relations with the EU. “Zealous advocates of further aggravation in Brussels have gained in strength. I am sure that it is high time to think seriously about specific steps to make our relations more predictable and constructive,” said the Senator.
According to Karasin, the meeting between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States on 16 June provided a good example of this, with its main result being an open door to joint work on complex problems. It involves both strategic issues and the bilateral agenda. “It is strange that Brussels has missed this signal or just preferred not to notice it. Trust rebuilding is a creative effort requiring much resoluteness. You should understand it,” said the Senator.
As a negative example Grigory Karasin mentioned the outcome of the recent OSCE spring session that included plenty of habitual accusations against Russia and a cynical breach of the Assembly Regulations on voting upon submitted draft documents. The Russian delegation had to walk out of the conference hall and disconnect the videoconference. “We were also unpleasantly surprised by the recent set of EU “conclusions” regarding Russia,” Karasin concluded.
The crisis in Ukraine and international efforts to solve it were also discussed during the meeting.