The ministry has renamed its Division of European Cooperation amid deteriorating ties with the EU
The Russian Overseas Ministry has rebranded its Division of European Cooperation (DEC) into the Division of European Issues (DEP), in accordance with its web site.
The related adjustments to the structural diagram on the ministry’s web page have been made earlier this week and Russian media reported them on Saturday.
Regardless of the phrase “cooperation” being changed with the phrase “issues” within the division’s title, the DEP will maintain executing the identical features as earlier than. Its process has been coping with the “problems with worldwide European organizations” such because the OSCE (Group for Safety and Co-operation in Europe), the Council of Europe, the EU and NATO.
The title of the division has solely been modified within the Russian model of the web site. For now it’s nonetheless referred to as the ‘Division of European Cooperation’ within the English, French and German variations.
Moscow’s relations with European organizations have been problematic since 2014 when Crimea overwhelmingly voted in a referendum to reunite with Russia. They deteriorated even additional after the escalation of the battle with Ukraine in February 2022, through which the EU has been supporting Kiev with weapons and funds.
Moscow mentioned in August that the OSCE was in “a disaster scenario” because of the lack of ability of its member-states to seek out frequent floor on essentially the most fundamental points. Final 12 months, Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe, insisting that the group had been hijacked by the West to be able to promote its pursuits. Russia additionally considers EU nations to be “unfriendly” international locations, whereas viewing NATO as a hostile navy bloc.
Throughout his assembly with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in July, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the state of relations between Moscow and the EU as being “at its lowest level.”
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Final 12 months, Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned that “the EU ‘misplaced’ Russia. However it’s its personal fault. In spite of everything, it’s the EU member states and the leaders of the bloc, who brazenly declare the necessity to inflict, as they are saying, a strategic defeat on Russia.”
The EU nations are presently not prepared to speak to Moscow, Lavrov mentioned. Cooperation with the bloc can solely resume if it occurs on an equal foundation and takes Russian pursuits into consideration, he added.
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