On 19 February a meeting between Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton took place in Brussels within the framework of the Russia-EU political dialogue.
The Parties discussed the state of play and prospects of development of bilateral relations in the framework of the four “Road Maps” on Russia-EU Common Spaces in the context of preparations for the upcoming meeting between the Russian Government and the European Commission to be held in Moscow in March and the next Russia-EU summit. Special attention was given to such priority issues as steps towards visa-free travel for Russian and EU citizens, trade and energy cooperation, as well as cooperation in the field of crisis management.
Substantial exchange of views also took place on a number of topical international problems, including the Iranian nuclear programme, Middle East peace process, as well as situations in Syria and Mali.
