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EU foreign ministers agree on five principles concerning Russia

Xinhua, March 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

The foreign ministers from 28 member states of the European Union (EU) on Monday unanimously agreed on five principles guiding the EU's policy towards Russia.

Implementation of the Minsk agreement should be the key condition for any substantial change in the EU's stance towards Russia, agreed the ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council.

They also agreed to strengthen relations with the EU's Eastern Partners and other neighbors, in particular in Central Asia, as well as strengthen the resilience of the EU in fields including energy security, hybrid threats, or strategic communication.

The ministers also emphasized the need for selective engagement with Russia on issues of interest to the EU, and the need to engage in people-to-people contacts and support Russian civil society.

"We will come back to the sanctions decisions in due time, either at the Foreign Affairs Council and/or at the European Council," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the following press conference.

The Council also discussed relations with Iran and possible areas of re-engagement following the adoption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the lifting of all nuclear-related EU sanctions.

Mogherini briefed the ministers on her planned trip to Tehran next month, with an aim to explore different areas of cooperation with Iran accompanied by a delegation of EU commissioners.

"We will have political consultations, including consultations on human rights, but also dialogue and cooperation on trade and investment, on energy, including oil and gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and also civil nuclear cooperation that is something that comes out of the JCPOA as a natural field of engagement for the European Union," said Mogherini. Endit