Mogherini: Latvia’s EU Presidency May Balance Relations With Russia

MOSCOW, January 8 (Sputnik) – European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini expressed hope that Latvia's presidency of the EU council will help the bloc reach a balance in relations with Russia, Latvia's Delfi news website reported Thursday.

Addressing the Latvian parliament, Mogherini said that the history between Russia and Latvia will prove useful for the European Union in the upcoming months, according to the news outlet.

Referring to the escalation of EU-Russia tensions caused by disagreements over the Ukrainian crisis, Mogherini noted that Brussels has to be open to dialogue with Moscow.

On Wednesday, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that he noticed that Russia has become more willing to negotiate with the European Union over the situation in Ukraine.

Earlier in January, Rinkevics confirmed a plan to visit Moscow before January 19, when the next meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council will be held in Brussels.

Latvia took over the presidency in the European Council on January, 1.

Relations between Russia and the West have dramatically deteriorated amid the Ukrainian crisis, with European leaders repeatedly blaming Moscow for its alleged meddling in Ukrainian internal conflict. During 2014 Brussels, Washington and a number of their allies imposed several rounds of economic sanctions against Russia.

Late in December, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that relations with Europe will remain Moscow's foreign policy priority despite the current tensions. Mogherini also mentioned that Western countries wish to end the "logic of confrontation" in relations with Russia.