LUXEMBOURG, April 29 (RIA Novosti) - Lithuania blocked on Tuesday the start of EU-Russia talks on a new partnership and cooperation agreement, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said.
The 27-nation union, whose foreign ministers discussed the issue in Luxembourg earlier in the day, is seeking to restart talks on an expired treaty with Russia previously blocked by Poland over a meat embargo imposed by Moscow in 2005.
Poland's foreign minister signaled earlier on Tuesday that Warsaw would not block the talks, although, Radoslaw Sikorski said he had doubts that a mandate would be issued following Lithuania's concerns.
"The situation is changing fast, and Lithuania's position is evolving," Sikorski said.
Vilnius demanded the talks address its concerns over Russian energy supplies and Moscow's policy on Georgia and Moldova.
Russia, which supplies over a quarter of Europe's natural gas, has repeatedly dismissed accusations it is using energy as a political tool and insists it is a reliable supplier.
Although the European Commission said it supported the restart of EU-Russia talks, they require the prior approval of all EU member countries. Russia and the EU extended the old Partnership and Cooperation agreement for a further year. The sides hope to reach a new deal by the end of 2008.
The proposal to discuss a mandate for the EU-Russia talks was initiated by Slovenia, which is currently holding the rotating EU presidency.
A delegation of Slovenian officials is expected to travel to Vilnius to discuss Lithuania's concerns.
