MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) - Russia and the European Union have reaffirmed their interest in broadening channels of communication and have agreed that any further worsening of their relations is fraught with negative and unpredictable consequences, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We took a detailed look at today's state of relations between Russia and the European Union. Clearly, they are going through quite a rough patch now, including due to limitations, unilateral illegitimate restrictions that the EU has been imposing under far-fetched excuses. We said this frankly today," Lavrov said on Friday at a press conference following talks with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
"But, I think, it is important that both sides have reaffirmed their interest in maintaining and expanding channels for their dialogue, including on issues on which our positions differ, and there are multitudes of such issues. We reiterated our readiness to cooperate pragmatically on matters that are interesting and beneficial for both sides," he said.
"We agree that any further deterioration of our ties is fraught with negative and largely unpredictable consequences. We hope that during the strategic review of relations with Russia that, as far as I understand, the EU plans to conduct in March of this year, at the next summit, a choice will be made in favor of constructive, professional, and pragmatic interaction," the Russian foreign minister said.
Disagreements will remain, though "they'd better be reduced," he said.
"But we remain neighbors and jointly bear responsibility for maintaining stability on our common European, Eurasian continent. We are responsible for ensuring conditions as comfortable as possible for the life of our citizens across this vast geopolitical space," Lavrov said.