Mr. Putin expressed hope that a compromise would be found on all contentious issues. According to him, concrete proposals on EU-Russia cooperation should be prepared at the meeting, to be discussed at the next summit in the Netherlands.

The Russian leader said Russia and the EU needed dialog and mutual support. The summit is being held at an important time, he noted, after ten new members had joined the European Union. Mr. Putin said four EU-Russia common spaces had to be created.

For his part, Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, said it was necessary to ensure that the rights of Russian-speaking population in the European Union should be protected. He stressed that the European Commission attached significant importance to the integration of Russian-speaking population in the EU. According to Mr. Prodi, the European Union will allocate significant funds for the development of the Kaliningrad region. He said this issue would be discussed at the summit.

Mr. Prodi welcomed Russia’s proposal to convene a conference on Iraq. He said the fight against terrorism was a common goal for the European Union and Russia. He also expressed hope that Russia would ratify an additional protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, extending it to the ten new member-states.

The European Commission President noted significant progress in the EU-Russia relations, and expressed hope for further cooperation, which, he said, would boost the two countries’ economic, social and cultural development.