SOCHI, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia hopes that talks on a new cooperation agreement with the European Union will begin in the immediate future, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"Russia is ready for this work and hopes that the EU commission will get a mandate to conduct talks soon. After that, experts will be able to began official dialogue," Putin said at a Russian-EU summit in Sochi, a resort on Russia's Black Sea coast.
The current Russia-EU cooperation agreement expires in 2007.
