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EU summit opens in Brussels with focus on Russia

BRUSSELS, October 20. /TASS/. A two-day summit of the heads of state and government of the European Union countries has opened in Brussels with discussion on relations with Russia in the focus.

European Council President Donald Tusk and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said the summit was not planning to discuss sanctions against Russia over Syria or render any decisions on them at the summit.

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"I believe that the approach that I’ve prepared with the foreign ministers and that I will present based on a balance between firmness and dialog will be the one that will keep us all together, continued unity is what we need in the European Union," Mogherini said.

Apart from ties with Russia, the agenda includes the migration crisis, the situation around the agreement to create a zone of free trade between the EU and Canada (CETA), as well as the aftermath of two referendums - UK’s Brexit referendum and a referendum in the Netherlands on an association agreement with Ukraine.

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Federica Mogherini

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