RUSSIA:RUSSIA AND the EU yesterday began long-delayed talks on a new co-operation pact at a summit which both sides said turned a new page in their testy relationship.
A relaxed and smiling Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, making his debut with EU leaders, hailed the "sincere, neighbourly" mood - in contrast to the bad-tempered last EU summit hosted by Russia under his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.
European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said he "really enjoyed" the "very open, relaxed, constructive atmosphere" at the three-hour meeting in the Siberian oil town of Khanty-Mansiysk.
The centrepiece of the meeting was the formal start of negotiations on a new strategic agreement governing the sometimes strained relations between the EU and Russia, its third-biggest trading partner. The first round of negotiations on the agreement will be held in Brussels on July 4th.
The talks also offered EU leaders their first opportunity to assess Mr Medvedev, who took office last month.