Interfax: Russia remains open to free trade zone with EU, Lavrov says

(Interfax – Moscow, October 14, 2014) There is no alternative to improving relations between Russia and the EU and Russia is ready to discuss the creation of a free trade zone with the EU, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

“I believe that no clear-headed person in Europe will argue with the fact that there is no reasonable alternative to straightening relations between Russia and the EU,” Lavrov said at a meeting with the leadership of companies that are part of the Association of European Businesses in Moscow on Tuesday [14 October].

“By promoting Eurasian integration, we remain open to collaboration with other countries and other regional organizations. We are ready to discuss the prospects of creating a free trade zone with the European Union,” Lavrov said.

According to Lavrov, Russia and the European Union need to better relations especially “in the conditions when a fire of instability, armed conflicts is flaming and a wave of extremism and terrorism is rising to the south of our borders “.

“We will again and again face obstacles in our efforts to deepen cooperation if we do not identify clear long-term goals for ourselves. Russia continues to believe that the gradual construction of single economic and humanitarian space from Lisbon to Vladivostok based on the architecture of equal and indivisible security must be such a natural goal,” Lavrov added.