EU envoy sees Fradkov as helping bolster Russia-Europe ties

'Mikhail Fradkov was very active as Russia's envoy to the European Commission and significantly strengthened the Russian mission in Brussels,' Richard Wright, the head of the European Commission's office in Russia, stated at a press conference here Tuesday, a Rosbalt correspondent reported. Wright said Fradkov is very knowledgeable about the structure of the European Union and can make a great contribution to the development of relations between Russia and the EU.

'I do not believe that Russia's relationship with the EU is now in crisis. But we are facing problems arising from the impending widening of the European Union,' Wright said. 'It is very important that the basic document defining our relations, the Agreement on Cooperation Between Russia and the European Union, be extended to apply to the 10 new members of the EU.'