The messages accentuate the consistent intention of Russia to lead matters to deepening cooperation with the European Union, now gradually taking on the real contours of a strategic partnership. Its chief objective is to make Europe a continent of peace without dividing lines, which presupposes Russia's deep integration into the common European economic, legal and humanitarian space. Today it is becoming clear, the Russian President's messages stress, that further development of this process require mutual freedom of movement for Russia's citizens and those of the member states of the EU.

It is in the broad context of the European choice of Russia and of Europe-wide security and cooperation, the messages note, that it is necessary to consider the question of ensuring the unimpeded transit of people and goods between the Kaliningrad oblast and the rest of the territory of our country. Reaching mutually acceptable agreements on that score as soon as possible can give a new political impetus to relations between Russia and the European Union and take them to a qualitatively higher level.

In this connection Vladimir Putin suggested that the heads of the EU states consider the new integration initiative of Russia, envisaging placing an ambitious goal on a practical plane: to shift in the long term to a visa-free procedure for mutual trips of citizens of Russia and the EU countries. Expressing readiness for constructive cooperation to reach this goal, Russia expects an adequate consideration for its national interests relating to the ensuring of free communication with one of its subjects of the Federation, which by the will of history may soon find itself within the territory of the EU. This major political issue determines not only the real conditions of the functioning of the Kaliningrad oblast as an integral part of the Russian Federation, but also to a significant extent the further vector of our relations with the expanding European Union.

The President of the Russian Federation expressed hope that by the November Russia-EU summit in Copenhagen it will be possible through joint efforts to reach mutually acceptable agreements on Kaliningrad problems.

The Kremlin, Moscow, August 27, 2002


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© Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.