Russia, EU may start talks on partnership agreement

MOSCOW, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia and the European Union (EU) may start negotiations on a new partnership and cooperation agreement shortly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a government meeting on Monday.

"If what EU colleagues are telling us is true, we may start the negotiations in the near future and announce their beginning at the Khanty-Mansiisk summit in June," Lavrov was quoted by Interfaxnews agency as saying.

He said Russia was receiving signals that showed the impediments to the negotiations on a new partnership and cooperation agreement "will be gone soon," and that Russia was ready to start the negotiations.

The new agreement would cover wide-ranging issues from trade to energy, human rights and political cooperation, setting basis for the future EU-Russia relations.

The start of the negotiations was effectively blocked by Poland and Lithuania since 2006 because Russia imposed a two-year ban on Polish meat supplies and cut off oil supplies to a Lithuanian refinery which was sold to a Polish company rather than a Russian rival.

Poland said last Thursday that it was ready to lift its objections to the negotiations.