Russia and the European Union resumed on Tuesday talks on a comprehensive cooperation treaty three months after they were suspended over the Georgia conflict.
The decision to resume the negotiations was made at the Russia-EU summit in Nice on November 14 despite objections from Lithuania.
Russia”s envoy to the EU, who also heads the Russian delegation at the talks, said earlier on Tuesday he did not expect the negotiations to be easy.
“Although I am setting off for the talks in a positive frame of mind, I do not expect them to be either easy or swift,” Vladimir Chizhov said. “However, the very fact that they have been resumed gives cause for optimism.”
Chizhov said that some EU members have tried to use the issue to pressurize Russia. Poland and Lithuania had caused initial delays to the talks on the treaty to replace a pact that expired in late 2007.
The European Commission”s top negotiator is Eneko Landaburu, director general of external relations.
No end date has been set for the talks, which will cover a wide range of issues including energy, trade, security, immigration, and human rights.
Russia supplies a considerable portion of Europe”s energy needs, making many countries uneasy about dependence Kremlin-controlled supplies. Russia, in turn, has been hard hit by the global credit crunch and falling oil price, and needs reliable buyers of its natural gas.
The post-conflict situation in the Caucasus will be discussed at separate talks in Geneva later this month.
