MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – A dialogue between the European Union and Russia is necessary to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and avoid war in Europe, the President of the EU-LAC Foundation told Sputnik in an exclusive interview Wednesday.
“I think first of all we have to have a lot of dialogue with Russia again, because Russia is a big country, but also Ukraine is a country in our neighborhood. So we have to find a solution in Europe, there cannot be war in Europe,” Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.
She noted the importance of partnership between Moscow and the European Union, suggesting that anti-Russia sanctions must be lifted as soon as the situation in Ukraine normalizes.
On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Russia is needed to solve a number of major international issues, including the Iranian nuclear program and the Syrian civil war.
“I think it is true… Let’s really work on that from both sides, because in a conflict you always have to work with both sides,” Ferrero-Waldner said.
Earlier this week, the G7 leaders agreed that the lifting of anti-Russia sanctions, imposed in 2014 over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, must rely upon the implementation of the February Minsk peace agreement on Ukraine reconciliation.
The Minsk agreement, among other points, stipulates a ceasefire between independence supporters in Ukraine’s southeast and the Kiev forces that launched the military operation against them in April 2014.
Moscow has repeatedly denied Western allegations, and has taken an active role in the Ukrainian reconciliation talks.
The EU-LAC Foundation, deepening the strategic partnership between the European Union, Latin America, and the Caribbean, began its work in 2011.
The second EU-CELAC summit, bringing together European, Latin American and Caribbean leaders, began in Brussels on Wednesday, with over 60 heads of state or government due to attend the two-day event.
