The EU and Russia have agreed to reinforce their cooperation in the area of external security as they both have a particular responsibility for security and stability on the European continent and beyond.

EU Policy Aims

There are 5 priority areas for enhancing EU-Russia cooperation:

• Strengthening dialogue and cooperation on the international scene
• The fight against terrorism
• Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, strengthening export control regimes and disarmament
• Cooperation in crisis management
• Cooperation in the field of civil protection

EU Strategy

The EU and Russia work to strengthen the roles of the United Nations, OSCE and Council of Europe (CoE) in building an international order based on effective multilateralism. An extensive and ever more operational political dialogue characterises EU-Russia relations (see above).

The EU has a strong interest in engaging Russia in strengthening stability on the European continent, notably in regions adjacent to EU and Russian borders – our common neighbourhood. The regional conflicts in Moldova (Transnistria) and the South Caucasus (Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh) are regularly discussed. The EU also stresses the importance of promoting democracy in Belarus. These discussions simultaneously grant both partners the opportunity to voice a frank exchange of views regarding the situation in the common neighbourhood and a platform to seek common solutions.

The EU and Russia seek to strengthen their cooperation in all relevant international and regional fora in the fight against terrorism, notably by promoting and developing the relevant conventions and instruments in the UN, OSCE and Council of Europe. The EU in particular seeks an early finalisation of the UN Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism.

In the area of non-proliferation, export controls and disarmament, a major objective of the EU and Russia is to promote the universal adherence to and greater effectiveness of the relevant international instruments. A particular EU concern at present is to seek Russian support for the accession of all EU Member States to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Russia is seeking to join the Australia Group (Biological and Chemical Weapons Control).