MOSCOW, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Deputies of Russia's lower house of parliament and the EU's external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will discuss a new Russia-EU cooperation agreement June 4, a Russian MP said Monday.
Negotiations on a new EU partnership agreement with Moscow to replace the old one, which expired in December 2007, were blocked by Poland because of a Russian embargo on Polish meat in November 2005, which Moscow said was over health concerns, but Warsaw called political.
Lithuania is also blocking a mandate on the new EU-Russia treaty, with Vilnius demanding that talks should address its concerns over Russian energy supplies and Moscow's policy on Georgia and Moldova.
On Monday, Alexander Grushko, Russia's deputy foreign minister, and Manuel Lobo Antunes, Portugal's Secretary of State Assistant to the Minister and for European Affairs, had talks on a new EU-Russia document in Moscow.
The ministers said that it was necessary "to build a truly strategic partnership" between the 27 EU member countries and Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Last year, Russia and the EU extended the Partnership and Cooperation agreement by a year, and are hoping to reach a new deal by the end of 2008.
All of the EU's member states must give their approval to talks on a new agreement between the European Union and Russia.
