BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2021) German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed the belief on Monday that EU member states should discuss with Moscow directly such issues as cyberattacks, disarmament and the situations in Ukraine and Belarus, and also pointed to some progress regarding the idea of a EU-Russia summit.
"The problem is, ... thorough preparations must precede such a meeting. From my point of view, we should discuss all the issues of concern and all the areas we would like to cooperate in at such a meeting. We are mostly concerned about the hybrid attacks that we all face: France, Germany, Italy and Baltic nations. I believe we should discuss it not only among ourselves but also directly with the Russian president," Merkel said at a joint session of the German and the French parliaments.
According to the German chancellor, EU nations and Moscow should also discuss Belarus, Donbas, strategic disarmament, peace and security, and the future of Syria and Libya.
"The relations between Russia and the European Union cannot be described as great at this stage, but people talked to each other eve during the Cold War. Absence of dialogue dos not help solve problems. We mapped out the topics we would like to discuss with Russia and we ordered effort to determine the format and conditions of negotiations. This means we made progress but are yet to fulfill our goal," Merkel said.
