Brussels, 13/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - European and Russian justice and immigration ministers are, on Friday, to seek to move forward on issues concerning visas, readmission and terrorism with a view to the EU-Russia Summit on 10 May in Moscow. The Area of Freedom, Security and Justice is one of the four “spaces” for cooperation that Russia and the European Union would like to be able to announce at the summit. The aim, on Friday, is to seek to identify the roads that will lead to an agreement on the four spaces, the Presidency said.
The EU is keen on the progress made on Russia's re-admission of illegal Russian immigrants but also those who have crossed its territory before reaching the European Union. Russia wants more time for signing the readmission agreement with its neighbours in order, in turn, to be able to expel people in an unlawful situation that are sent back to Russia by the European Union. The EU hopes to establish a clear link between facilitation of visa issuance by Russia and the conclusion of a readmission agreement. Russia would like visas to be abolished and hopes this medium term objective will be mentioned in the declaration.
Terrorism is also a sensitive issue, with the Chechen problem as a backdrop. Both sides, diplomats say, wish to put forward their own particular concept of terrorism. Russia, in particular, would like the declaration to cite the extradition by EU Member States of persons that it considers terrorists, a European diplomat states.
The meeting will begin with a bilateral meeting between the vice-president of the Commission, Franco Frattini, and President Putin's Special Adviser Viktor Ivanov. It will be followed by a meeting of the Troika with the Luxembourg Justice and Home Ministers, Luc Frieden and Nicolas Schmit, and their Russian opposite numbers, Rashid Nurgaliev (home affairs) and Yuri Tchaïka (justice).