The German government and parliament are ready to discuss Russia's proposals on European security, a German MP said Monday.
Karl-Georg Wellmann, a member of Bundestag's international affairs committee from the ruling CDU/CSU faction, who heads the Russia group, held a series of meetings in Moscow on Monday to discuss Russia's recent European security initiative.
"This was very substantial, very interesting and the position of the German government and German parliament is: let's seriously discuss these proposals," said Wellmann, who met with the Russian lower house's international affairs committee chairman Konstantin Kosachyov and other politicians and diplomats.
Wellmann said Germany treated the Valdai International Discussion Club's report entitled "Towards a New Euroatlantic Security Architecture" at a London conference organized by RIA Novosti and the International Institute for Strategic Studies on December 8-9 as a partial explanation of Russia's security proposals.
"There is no alternative to very deep cooperation within the European continent - and Russia belongs to the European continent. Beginning with security, disarmament, nuclear disarmament, and all the other fields - energy policy, human rights, economy - you really need modernization partnership with Germany and with the EU," he said.
Wellmann said Germany could help the EU work out a new attitude toward Russia.
"The EU was split concerning Russian policy and that doesn't help. That is a real obstacle to cooperation with modern Europe. That is good neither for Russia nor for the European Union," Wellmann said.
"So, our chance is now - and that maybe the role for Germany, France, maybe Poland lately - to unite within the EU, make a common policy on Russia. That's why we need some signals from Russia to build confidence within these small countries - like, for instance, the Baltic countries," he said.
MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti)
