MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. The European Union and the European parliament remain Russia’s important counterparts despite all disagreements, Chairman of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Committee for International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev said at a meeting with Vice-President of the European Parliament Alexander Graf Lambsdorff.
"For Russia, the European Union is a very important partner, despite all the disagreements that have emerged lately," the Russian senator said. According to Kosachev, these disagreements often emerge because the parties fail to fully understand each other’s reasons and actions. He added that it was necessary to boost dialogue between legislators in order to overcome contradictions.
Lambsdorff shared the Russian senator’s view on the need to intensify inter-parliamentary contacts. He also said that in case a decision to lift anti-Russian sanctions was made, Russian lawmakers should be the first to be removed from the EU blacklists.