From left to right: President of European Council Herman Van Rompuy; Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso at a joint news conference after EU-Russia Summit in Nizhny Novgorod, June 10. Photo: Kremlin website.

President of European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, reiterated EU’s support to Georgia’s territorial integrity while speaking at the end of EU-Russia Summit in Nizhny Novgorod on June 10.

“Let me also recall the EU’s position of continued support for the security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and of full implementation of the Six-point agreement of 12 August 2008, as well as its implementing measures,” Herman Van Rompuy said in his opening remarks at a joint news conference with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

He also said that the EU-Russia relations were “enjoying its best dynamics for years.”

“We can build on a track record of strengthened trust and constructive dialogue,” he said.

The European Parliament passed a resolution on June 9 on EU-Russia summit calling on Russia, among other things, “to respect the agreements it has signed, to fulfil all of the conditions under the Six-point Ceasefire Agreement and to immediately withdraw its troops from the occupied Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to the pre-conflict positions as well as to guarantee the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) access to those territories.”

The resolution also calls on the European Commission “to persuade Russia to cease issuing passports to residents of the occupied provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”

At the joint news conference in Nizhny Novgorod, the Russian President said that, among other issues, “major regional conflicts” were also discussed and he listed situation in the Middle East, North Africa, Iranian nuclear program and conflict in Transdnistria.

“In overall conflict situations in Europe [were discussed],” Medvedev added. “It is important to note that in majority of the issues our positions are very close or coincide with each other.”