German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday he was confident a new EU-Russia partnership agreement can be reached at a meeting of EU defence and foreign ministers in Brussels, according to dpa. Steimeier's remarks came after his meeting with the Baltic counterparts in the Latvian capital, Riga, Tuesday. The EU nations are due to issue a mandate for a new cooperation agreement with Moscow at the meeting in Brussels next Monday. Steinmeier, Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas discussed EU-related issues, the Lisbon Treaty, energy issues, and regional co-operation. The trip was also an expression of the close cooperation between Germany and the Baltic states, a spokesman from the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Latvia chairs the Council of the Baltic Sea States and is due to host the summit of the heads of governments on June 3-4.
