Bishkek wants to see Russia-EU relations normalized
BRUSSELS/BISHKEK. April 13 (Interfax) - Kyrgyzstan would like Russia-EU relations to be normalized as soon as possible, the head of the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration's foreign policy department, Daniyar Sydykov, told Interfax.
"The current situation in Russia-EU [relations] is absolutely disadvantageous to Kyrgyzstan and everyone else," Sydykov said.
"Any misunderstanding is harmful to others, so we want a rapid settlement of the situation in relations between Russia and the European Union," he said.
"We consider the promotion, deepening, and development of the bilateral alliance with Russia to be crucial, but we also need profound cooperation with EU institutions and the implementation of our democratic values," Sydykov said.
"We are very much interested in the rapid settlement of those issues [Russia-EU relations], which are part of the global agenda," he said.
As to whether Kyrgyzstan could mediate a dialogue between Russia and the EU, Sydykov said, "Kyrgyzstan would do probably everything in its power to establish a positive dialogue."
The issue of Russia-EU relations was not addressed at the talks between Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and EU officials in Brussels on Thursday; the sides focused on bilateral cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the EU, a source in the Kyrgyz delegation told Interfax.