The 32nd EU-Russia summit will
take place on 28 January in Brussels. The EU will be represented by José
Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and by Herman Van
Rompuy, President of the European Council. Catherine Ashton, High
Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and
Vice-President of the European Commission, will also take part. Russia
will be represented by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir
Putin, accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The summit will consist of a
meeting among principals and key advisors in a format conducive to
in-depth political discussion, followed by a working lunch in the same
format. A press conference will be held at the end of the lunch.
President Barroso said: "Both
Russia and the European Union have much to gain by strengthening our
cooperation as strategic partners - but for this to be successful, we
need mutual understanding and strategic trust. This is what we will try
to consolidate at our next Summit, by an open discussion on our common
interests, as well as on our differences and the best ways to overcome
them. An honest, forward-looking dialogue about the future of our
economic and political relations is critically important for the benefit
of our people and for a democratic, prosperous and stable continent."
"This summit
is an opportunity for a genuine joint reflection on the nature and
direction of the EU-Russia strategic partnership. Our common interests
are many and they encourage us to work together constructively. We have
also had however a number of differences which need to be discussed and
clarified. At this moment, we must focus on our common neighbourhood,
regional integration processes, trade questions and international
commitments" said President Van Rompuy ahead of the meeting.
