By DPA,
Paris : French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said that sanction against Russia is not on the agenda for Monday’s European Union (EU) emergency summit in Brussels. Fillon instead called for dialogue with Moscow.
The meeting, due to begin at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) in Brussels, had been called to find a common EU position on the issues arising from the conflict in Georgia. Sanctions had been widely discussed as one way to rein in an increasingly assertive Russia following the crisis in August.
However, Fillon said “Russia is a very large country that matters”.
“Over the past 20 years it has been in a way humiliated,” Fillon told Europe-1 Radio.
Fillon said the EU must talk with Russia about the “very complex” question of nationality in the Caucasus.
“Russia is on the way to modernisation, to democracy,” he added. “Naturally, more progress will have to be made.”