15 October 2007
Mikhail Gorbachev: "Russia and the EU are both interested in advancing relations and that all differences of opinion should be resolved through dialogue"
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has said that Russia and the EU are both interested in advancing relations and that all differences of opinion should be resolved through dialogue.
"Relations with Germany, with the EU are extremely important to Russia. We also know that relations with our country are also important to the EU," he said at the St. Petersburg Dialogue forum in Wiesbaden on Monday.
"The misunderstanding and tension that occasionally arise, even the mutual suspicions and accusations that we witness now - all of them can and must be overcome through dialogue, through taking each others' interests into account. This is the real way to create an atmosphere of confidence," he said.
"History is giving us a chance and we must not lose it," Gorbachev said.
"The conversation is frank and acute in form. We don't always manage to reach agreement or understand each other, still we are moving in this direction. We are trying to understand each other's approaches and understanding is probably the road to partnership. Differences of opinion remain: therefore, it is desirable and important to continue discussing issues raised at the forum. We will be mulling these problems. We feel that objective processes taking place in both the EU and Russia are influencing our forum," he said describing the nature of the discussion at the forum.
