On 21 May 2019 regular expert consultations on Western Balkans (COWEB) were held in Brussels within the established framework of Russia – EU Political Dialogue.
Igor Kalabukhov, Deputy Director of the 4th European Department, and Vladislav Maslennikov, Deputy Director of the Department of European Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented the Russian side. Elsa Fenet, head of Western Balkans Division of the European External Action Service, led the EU delegation.
A detailed and constructive discussion was held on a broad range of topical issues on the current Balkan agenda, including cooperation of Russia and the EU with countries of the region. The Russian side emphasized the importance of joint efforts to harmoniously reconcile the course of the Western Balkan states towards integration into the European Union with their interests in building mutually beneficial relations with Russia.
An agreement was confirmed to hold the next round of consultations in the second semester of 2019.
