KALININGRAD, August 17. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for parting with the illusion that the European Union is a beacon of democracy.

"It is time to abandon the illusion that many still have that the European Union is the ideal of democracy and a big brother whom everyone must obey. That has not been the case for a long time," he said on Tuesday addressing lecturers and students of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University.

According to Russia’s top diplomat, at the same time, Russia retains "a natural, normal interest in getting along well with its neighbors, trading with them, sharing experience, visiting each other and being friends with each other." He called Russia’s Kaliningrad Region "an example of depoliticized humanitarian ties."

"If one could be guided by these principles, which form the basis for cross-border cooperation projects, in considering more global issues in our relations with the European Union, everyone would benefit from that," Lavrov added.