Russia, EU to open talks on new treaty in 2007-FM Lavrov

UN, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and EU foreign ministers have agreed to start negotiations on a new partnership agreement to replace the current Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in 2007, Russia's foreign minister said Saturday.

The EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) will expire on November 30, 2007. Both Brussels and Moscow initially said that the agreement would automatically be extended year on year until one of the parties - and in practice, both parties - felt that it should be replaced with a new agreement. But first Moscow and then Brussels spoke of the need to draft a new agreement.

"We have agreed that by the start of 2007 the European Commission will receive the mandate to open negotiations with us," Sergei Lavrov said.

He was speaking after a meeting with his EU counterparts at the UN headquarters.

A Russian presidential aide said earlier work was already in progress on drafting an agreement that was designed to encompass all spheres of interaction and identify the vector of Russia's relations with the EU for years to come.