BRUSSELS, May 7. /TASS/. Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser announced in an interview with TASS that he has extended invitations to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to all MEPs so they can understand the need and possibility of dialogue with Russia.
"I never make any secret of these contacts. I always invite ALL MEP’s to those meetings. <…> I want people to know that it is not only possible to have a constructive dialogue with our Russian counterparts but that we are also actively doing it," he said.
The politician stressed that he was "absolutely aware of the fact that some will leak it to the press and some others will attack me openly." "But I have nothing to hide," he said.
"I am convinced that the EU cannot persist much longer in its current attitude. Everything pleads in favor of responsible political and diplomatic contacts with Russia: the difficult geostrategic situation, European security concerns, the ongoing Ukraine conflict, economic and energy considerations, the worsening relationship with other important partners, and so on," he said.
"I am equally convinced that many politicians are aware of the absurdity of the current situation. But the political pressure on them is still much to high, which prevents them from supporting our dialogue openly," Kartheiser told TASS.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held on June 3-6, 2026.