European Commission chief, Jose Manuel Barroso, will travel to Moscow on March 17 for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on energy security, the European Commission said Thursday, dap reported. "Europe and Russia are energy interdependent, and the message that I will take to Moscow is that on energy, as in many other areas where we have common interests, we must maximise our cooperation," Barroso said in a statement. The meeting will be held as part of the preparations for the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in July and to rethink the future shape of EU-Russia relations, the commission said. The current partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and Russia, signed in 1997, expires next year. "Now is the time ... to explore all the options for a closer and more effective cooperation," Barroso said, adding: "At the heart of our relations will be a new energy partnership with Russia." --More 21 48 Local Time 18 48 GMT
