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In a statement posted on Twitter, Borrell said his visit to Russia had shown that Russia was reluctant to seize the opportunity to engage in a more constructive dialogue with the EU. “We are disappointed that we have to draw conclusions,” he said.
According to Borrell, Europe and Russia are “moving away” from their “complicated” visit to Moscow, during which Russia sent three European diplomats to the country accused of participating in protests by Navaln supporters.
Borrell notes that relations between Europe and Russia have been bad for several years, but that relations have deteriorated since the Navaln poisoning, which the opposition blames on the Russian state. After months of treatment in Germany, Mr. Navaln returned to Russia and was soon arrested and later imprisoned.
His arrest and prison sentence have sparked massive street protests in Russia, with most protesters directly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Borrell went to Moscow to discuss the incident with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and called for the immediate release of Mr. Navalna and the initiation of an investigation into his poisoning.
“The aggressive press conference and the expulsion of three diplomats from the EU during my visit show that the Russian authorities did not want to seize the opportunity for a more constructive dialogue with the EU,” Borrell wrote.
February 22 A meeting of EU foreign ministers is scheduled for 2006 to discuss Borrell’s visit to Russia and additional sanctions against Russia.
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