Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Berlusconi favors Russia joining EU


Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Wednesday that he is in favor of Russia becoming a member of the European Union, a "vision" he has held for several years.

"I consider Russia to be a Western country and my plan is for the Russian Federation to be able to become a member of the European Union in the coming years," Berlusconi told reporters in Brussels.

He said that first of all the European Union should resume talks with Moscow on a partnership agreement that was suspended following a war between Russia and Georgia in August.

"I want to go further. I have had this vision for years," Berlusconi said as he arrived in Brussels for an EU summit, AFP reports.

The European Union earlier this week deferred a decision on when to restart talks with Moscow, saying it wanted to see more evidence Russia would stick to a ceasefire deal with Georgia.

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