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Eurasian Union can add to construction of united Europe

However, many in the EU treat it with certain caution

NICOSIA, November 2 (Itar-Tass) —— The formation of a Eurasian Union can become an additional element of the construction of united Europe, Konstantin Kosachev, the president of the European Club and head of the Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, Compatriots Residing Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), told Itar-Tass on Thursday. He heads the Russian delegation that arrived in the Cyprus capital for a regular meeting of the European Club. A conference was arranged in the framework of the meeting to set out the concept of forming the Eurasian Union. The Cyprus side was represented at the forum by members of the cabinet of ministers, MPs, representatives of the leaderships of political parties and civic society.

“The conference is devoted to the theme of combining the European and Eurasian ideas,” Kosachev said. “The Eurasian project is gaining momentum. However, many in the EU treat it with certain caution hard to understand and think it to be either a covert plan to reconstruct the Soviet Union or an attempt to split Europe and to create some sort of a counterbalance to the EU, formed of states that initiated the Eurasian Economic Union,” he said. “We would like to dispel this concern and to present the Eurasian idea as a project that can be an additional element of the construction of united Europe,” he explained.

The European Club is an informal association of Russian MPs, public figures, and entrepreneurs who strive to develop people’s diplomacy in the directions most important to Russia. Kosachev said the delegation’s visit to Cyprus is connected with the fact that Cyprus now chairs the European Union. “This offers an extra opportunity for using the potential of Cyprus as a country friendly to Russia in the context of relations between Russia and the EU,” he explained.

Aside from participation in functions of the European Club, Kosachev and members of the Russian delegation were received by President of the Republic of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias and had meetings with speaker of the House of Representatives (parliament) of Cyprus Yannakis Omiru and with heads of compatriots’ associations in Cyprus.

The visit’s program also envisages a round-table conference on matters related to commercial and economic cooperation between Russia and Cyprus and also between Russia and the EU. For this reason, the delegation includes not only politicians and publics figures but also representatives of a number of large Russian companies.

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