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Russian lawmaker: EP adopting anti-Russian resolutions like it has nothing else to do

Alexey Pushkov expressed hope that contacts with MEPs will help gradually change attitude in the European Parlaiment towards Russia

MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. The European Parliament (EP) adopts anti-Russian resolutions surprisingly regularly, like it has nothing else to do, Russian State Duma’s International Affairs Committee chairman Alexey Pushkov said on Friday.

Pushkov and his colleagues held a meeting with MEPs representing the faction "European People’s Party". Opening the discussion, Pushkov stressed that Russian lawmakers assign great importance to contacts with European parliamentary structures even despite the fact that their actions toward Russia are not always adequate, in Moscow’s opinion.

"It is especially surprising how regularly the European Parliament adopts anti-Russian resolutions, like the European Parliament has nothing else to do," Pushkov noted.

"I know that it is not about you and that you do not participate in preparing such resolutions, but most MEPs have rather obvious anti-Russian positions," the lawmaker added. He expressed hope that such contacts "will help gradually change attitude in the European Parlaiment."

Pushkov said he intends to discuss the issues with MEPs that they already focused on at today’s meeting with State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin.

"Of course, we are interested whether a revolution in EP’s attitude toward Russia can happen and under what conditions," Pushkov said. He also said he wanted to know whether the anti-terrorist operation that Russia has launched in Syria can have an impact. "[I want to know] how long will the Ukrainian crisis be the reason that there are almost no contacts between Russia and the European Union," Pushkov added.

French MEP Nadine Morano expressed hope that meetings with Russian parliamentarians will be held "openly both in Russia and in Italy, Germany, Great Britain, and that they would give an impetus to developing the negotiations process."