Brussels, 18/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Russia wants talks with the European Union over the scrapping of visas for EU nationals visiting the EU to begin after the EU-Russia Summit in December, announced Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday after the eighth Standing Russia-EU Partnership Council. Lavrov said that the two sides had decided to enter negotiations about visa-free travel for Russians in EU Member States after the summit.
“You and I have been collaborating to try and make sure that we have those technical steps in place and I do hope that we will see real progress at the summit and of course beyond”, said EU High Representative Catherine Ashton during her visit to Moscow. A plan to gradually phase out short-stay visas for Russians will be submitted to the Russia-EU summit in December.
Ashton and Lavrov discussed Russia's application to join the WTO. “I think it will be to the benefit of Russia and to the benefit of the EU. I think it will be a real opportunity for us to develop a deeper economic framework in support of our businesses especially and I congratulate you and your team for all the work that has gone into achieving this and we look forward to the realisation of that ambition”, said Ashton, also highlighting the importance of energy issues.
She continued: “It is also the case that the Iranians have obligations that they have signed up to and they must make sure that they meet those obligations. And that is why it falls to the international community to put the pressure on to make sure those obligations are met. So I will continue to work as I do very closely with Minister Lavrov and with the other countries in order that we can do this. I am extremely content with the collaboration and cooperation that we have on this as you have seen from the resolutions in Vienna. The future of Syria now depends upon the ability of all of us to keep pressure on Syria to see the end of the violence, to listen to the people and to find a way to move forward and I do hope that we will see significant movement in that direction in the coming days”. On 5 October 2011, Russia vetoed a United Nations' Security Council resolution condemning the use of violence by the Syrian regime. (CG/transl.fl)