MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. Moscow has taken note of the European Union's confrontational attitude towards the Black Sea region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following consultations between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin and his Turkish counterpart Ayse Berris Ekinci.
"Russia and Turkey reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of sovereign identity and responsibility of the coastal countries for this geographical space. They also noted the European Union’s aggressive and confrontational attitude towards the Black Sea region," the statement reads.
Pankin reiterated Russia’s determination to maintain pragmatic and mutually beneficial dialogue on the entire range of issues of mutual interest. "It’s about joint work in the Black Sea region, free of politicization and aimed at achieving practical results," the ministry pointed out. "The deputy foreign ministers coordinated approaches to the agenda of the South African presidency ahead of the upcoming G20 summit, as well as to issues related to the strengthening of the multilateral trade system based around the WTO, increasing the role and voice of the countries of the Global South and East in international organizations and financial institutions," the statement adds.
