Zakharova: Russia always open for cooperation with EU on equal basis

Russia is always open for cooperation with the European Union on the equal basis and with mutual respect, Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview on the Solovyev Live YouTube channel on Saturday.

The statement came in response to media reports that EU Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer suggested reconsidering the EU strategy in relations with Russia during his meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Monday.

Commenting on those reports, Zakharova said: “Our stance does not depend on statements that are being made at the moment. Our position is evident, and, by the way, very easy to understand. We stand for cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Are you ready for this kind of cooperation? You are welcome, we are always open in all directions: humanitarian issues, politics, defense. This is an invariable concept, it has remained unchanged for many years, for decades.”

She went on to say that the Russian Foreign Ministry has been receiving frequent requests for a comment on statements made by EU officials lately, but making such comments makes little sense at the moment.

“In my opinion, there is currently no need to pay attention to any quote, any statement, any sound coming from Brussels. Those sounds probably had some meaning in the past, but today they only indicate the European Union’s total stalemate in conceptualizing its place in the world and its relations with various regions of our planet,” Zakharova added.

In her words, the European Union should sort out its foreign policy priorities and restore internal unity first, because the pandemic-related crisis exposed the lack of accord among the union’s members.

“For today, they sound like an orchestra of non-professionals. We hear some sounds all the time, but it is not music, it is cacophony. What’s the sense for us to react to it? <…> They should decide what they want among themselves, and shape their foreign policy correspondingly,” Zakharova said.

On Saturday, the Bloomberg news agency reported citing informed sources that Ederer met with Borrell on March 8 as part of preparations for the EU summit, and suggested revising the European Union’s strategy in relations with Russia.