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Lavrov calls level of Russia-EU relations 'not satisfactory'

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Foreign policy chief says EU ready to return to strategic partnership with Russia

PORVOO /Finland/, May 4. /TASS/. The current condition of relations between Russia and the European Union is unable to cause a feeling of satisfaction, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini on Thursday.

"We discussed the condition of relations between Russia and the European Union," Lavrov said. "It is unable to cause any satisfaction, of course. We recalled the proposals for steering these relations out of the current stalemate - proposals from Russian President Vladimir Putin that were made to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in June 2016.

Putin and Juncker met on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 16, 2016. They avoided touching upon the theme of European sanctions against Russia to discuss various aspects of cooperation by Moscow and Brussels, including energy projects.

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