FRANCO FRATTINI: EASTERN PARTNERSHIP SHOULD NOT BE ANTI-RUSSIAN INITIATIVE

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2009 11:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Italy has called on European Union member states
to invite Russia for the Eastern Partnership Summit due in Prague on
May 7.

"Eastern Partnership should not be an anti-Russian initiative,"
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said upon completion of EU
Foreign Minister’s meeting in Brussels.

At that, he said that Italy’s proposal did not stir up opposition,
RIA Novosti reports.

The European Commission puts forward concrete ideas for enhancing our
relationship with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and
Belarus (the latter depending on the development of its relations with
the EU). This would imply new association agreements including deep
and comprehensive free trade agreements with those countries willing
and able to enter into a deeper engagement, gradual integration in the
EU economy and allow for easier travel to the EU through gradual visa
liberalization, accompanied by measures to tackle illegal immigration.