Yesterday, the first day of the European Union summit ended in Brussels, at which leaders were supposed to determine a new strategy towards Russia.
However, this issue was postponed for the future, and until then they decided to be guided by the five principles that were set out in 2016 by the then EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.
In turn, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports, the head of the Russian International Affairs Council Andrei Kortunov, commenting on this situation, says that the EU countries do not have a common opinion on the Russian issue.
“All 27 countries must agree to the language that can form the basis of this strategy. This is very difficult to do, and not only in relation to Russia. The European Union does not have a common position on many issues. Mogherini’s five principles are a rare example of consensus in the EU,” the expert told Izvestia.
According to him, now any discussion on Russia reveals different approaches.
“The fact that the adoption of the document was once again postponed suggests that this is an important issue. Apparently, in the coming months the countries will try to come to an agreement in order to publish some kind of document in the summer. It’s hard to say whether this will work out or not,” Kortunov concluded.
Briefly, “Mogherini’s five principles” are the following approaches:
1.Full compliance with the terms of the Minsk-2 agreement.
2. The European Union will not give up its intention to strengthen relations with the countries of the Eastern Partnership and Central Asia.
3. Strengthening the “internal stability of the European Union” - in particular, in matters of energy security, hybrid threats and strategic communications (we are talking about the so-called project of “countering Russian propaganda”).
4. Restoration of cooperation with Moscow “in some selected areas.”
5. Desire to support the development of civil society in Russia and “maintain people-to-people contacts and exchanges.”