Russia is for negotiations on Kaliningrad region with participaiton of EU, Lithuania and Poland

Russia is in favour of holding negotiations on problems of the Kaliningrad Region (Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea) in a four-sided format that would include, apart from Russia and the EU, also Lithuania and Poland "as the most interested states," said Yevgeny Gusarov, deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was speaking at a plenary meeting of the State Duma on Wednesday.

Gusarov said that separate negotiations between Russia and the European Union, and between Russia and Lithuania which were held of late, have not brought the desired results.

Yevgeny Gusarov pointed out that Lithuania is treating the given problem "with its tongue in its cheek." On the one hand, Lithuania points out that any agreement that would be reached between Moscow and the European Union would be acceptable for it, but at the same time, said Gusarov, it is "hiding itself" behind the norms of European law, despite the fact that it is interested in preserving the visa-free regime with Kaliningrad.

The Kaliningrad region, after Poland and Lithuania which border on it, join the European Union, will be cut off from the rest of Russian territory by the Schengen zone. Serious problems will arise with the movement of people and cargoes between the enclave and the Russian "mainland."