EU External Action Service deputy chief says will discuss Ukraine in Moscow
MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - The settlement of the Ukrainian crisis will be a main topic on the agenda of EU External Action Service Deputy Secretary General Helga Schmid to Moscow.
"If I cast my mind back to the pre-crisis period, EU-Russia relations were on a positive trajectory and we were preparing the ground for a wide-ranging partnership. But my visit today will unfortunately again have to deal with the resolution of the Ukraine crisis," Schmid said in an interview with Interfax.
Schmid expects to discuss a number of international issues with Russian representatives on which Brussels is interested in cooperation with Russia.
"Take the Iran negotiations - we have worked hand in hand with Russia and our other negotiating partners to reach the agreement in Switzerland early this month," she said.
Schmid noted that this will be her second visit to Russia since the start of the Ukrainian crisis. "My first visit was exactly one year ago after the illegal annexation of Crimea when we were looking into the preparation of the Geneva talks involving the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the U.S. and EU that aimed to prevent further extension of the conflict," she said.
"This opportunity was unfortunately missed and the destabilization continued with so much human suffering and widespread destruction," Schmid said.
Schmid also said that a visit of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will visit Russia.
"Regarding a visit of the High Representative to Moscow, it's a possibility. Having said that, there are frequent contacts between the High Representative and Minister Lavrov on Ukraine and also on a whole range of international issues, on which the EU cooperates usefully with Russia, on Iran and on the Middle East for example," Schmid said.
The full text of the interview will appear at ww.interfax.com.