Moscow-Sana
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed today his country's readiness to normalize relations with the European Union on the basis of equality and mutual respect, expressing at the same time his country's concern about the Union's actions to undermine the mechanisms of interaction between Brussels and Moscow.
Sputnik quoted Lavrov as saying after talks with his Slovenian counterpart, Angie Lugar: We affirm once again our readiness to normalize relations with the European Union on the basis of equality and mutual respect and seeking a balance of interests and not on the basis of unilateral measures and preconditions.
He added: We discussed the actions of Brussels to undermine all the mechanisms that existed between Russia and the European Union and expressed regret that the position of the European Union is formed on the basis of the lowest common denominator which is determined by the approaches of the minority that suffer from Russophobia.
Russia's permanent representative to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, announced earlier today that Moscow is ready to intensify dialogue with the European Union, pointing out at the same time that the Union is "immature" after this step.
It is noteworthy that relations between Russia and the countries of the West, led by the United States, have deteriorated due to the Ukrainian crisis that began in 2014 and Russia's rejection of NATO's attempts to expand its western borders.