The sides “discussed in detail the results of the working groups for the four sections of a future agreement that preceded the full-scale meeting.” The four sections in question concern the political dialogue and cooperation in the sphere of foreign security, cooperation in the sphere of freedom, security and justice, economic cooperation, and scientific research, education and culture.
“The results of that work received a positive assessment and, in the opinion of the chief delegates, they allow for going over to the next important stage of the negotiating process – the editing of the text meeting the positions of both sides,” Russian Foreign Ministry officials said.
In the course of the session “a common vision was confirmed of a new base Russia-EU agreement as a framework and a legally binding document, to be complemented in the future by sectoral agreements.”
“The sides agreed that a new Russia-EU base agreement must be rather ambitious and oriented towards the future. It must be addressed not to the immediate time-serving requirements of either party, but to the long-term goals and priorities of Russian-EU cooperation,” diplomats at the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “The Russian side stressed the idea that the issue on the agenda was the development of a fundamentally new document, which is to replace the current Russia-EU partnership agreement.
The chief Russian and EU delegates will report progress in the talks on a new base agreement at the Russia-EU summit in Khabarovsk on May 21-22.
The fifth round of the talks is due in Brussels in June.