Intl conference Vision of Europe opens in Berlin
By Vladimir Smelov
ITAR-TASS News Agency
November 19, 2004 Friday
BERLIN, November 19 — Partakers in the international conference
“Vision of Europe” that opened here on Friday will discuss the
wide range of issues of the EU development and the cooperation of
the EU with Russia and other CIS states. Outstanding politicians,
representatives of business and scientific circles, diplomats and
journalists gathered for the two-day forum that is organised by the
Herbert Quandt Foundation.
Presidents of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan Robert Kocharyan and Askar Akayev
are taking part in the meeting. Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir
Chizhov represents Russia.
According to him, the CIS-EU cooperation and cooperation among the
CIS states “is not a subject for competition.” The diplomat told
Itar-Tass that “interesting processes are going on at various paces
and in various formats in the CIS, they do not contradict each other
and do not lead to confrontation.”
The EU that exists already for 50 years accumulated the big experience
and the CIS as an organisation and the countries that are incorporated
in the commonwealth can use this experience in their integration,
the deputy foreign minister pointed out.
Speaking about the upcoming EU-Russia summit in the Hague he noted
that the implementation of previous agreements reached by both sides
will be discussed at the summit. Rights of ethnic minorities in the
Baltic states will also be discussed at the summit.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress