EU hopes to rejuvenate relations with Russia after Vilnius summit - newspaper

Russia and the European Union should rejuvenate their relations after the Vilnius summit and devote more time to the discussion of cooperation options, Head of the EU Mission in Russia Vigaudas Usackas said.

"I hope very much that the period after the Vilnius summit will allow us to refresh our minds and to understand that our concentration on the points of disagreement makes us miss the points which unite us, and they are much more important," Usackas said in an interview published by the Kommersant newspaper on Thursday.

"We should finally start building what we are more talking about than doing - an integrated space from Lisbon to Vladivostok," Usackas said.

The EU is inclined to building Europe without dividing lines, as a space based on the respect for independence and sovereignty of countries, he said.

"This is true for Ukraine, Russia and other countries of the region. We aim to integrate our economies. And no matter what outcome the Vilnius summit may have, Russia and the EU should not get fixated on it but take a broader view," the Mission Head observed.

Russia-EU relations are passing through a complex period, he suggested. "The current state of affairs does not reflect the depth, the width or potential of the EU-Russia dialogue. I am pretty disappointed with this altercation between the mutually dependent partners. We should make serious efforts to improve the situation," Usackas continued.

The third summit of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative will take place in Vilnius on November 28-29.