Russian FM calls for dialogue with EU

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday slammed NATO for its increasing military activities near Russian borders and called for resolving disputes with the EU through dialogue.

"Increasing military activities near the Russian borders do not help rebuild confidence in Europe and the Atlantic. We will have to react to that appropriately," Lavrov said after a meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo.

"Moscow is convinced that such problems should be resolved through equal and mutually respectful dialogue," Lavrov said, adding that Moscow and Madrid have seen the necessity to revive dialogue between Russia and the EU amid current tensions, in particular over countering new threats and challenges.

"We hope that common sense will prevail in the EU as the normalization of relations is mutually beneficial for Russia and the bloc," the minister said.

Meanwhile, both diplomats stressed the need to implement the Minsk agreement reached in February over the crisis in Ukraine.

"We have a common view of this task, which is to implement all points, without exception, of the package of measures on the peaceful solution to the crisis," Lavrov said.

For his part, Garcia-Margallo noted that there are no grounds to expand sanctions against Russia as the Minsk agreement has been observed.

"We have heard of good news; weaponry is being pulled back, so I do not see reasons for expanding sanctions," he said, calling for the restoration of Russia-EU strategic partnership.

In a veiled reference to the United States, Lavrov called on the bloc not to let a third party interfere in its decision-making process on Ukraine. Endi