Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government on Monday to seek an agreement with the European Union on entry visa exemption for short visits of Russians to EU countries and vice versa.
The order is part of a presidential decree entitled "On Measures for the Implementation of the Foreign Policy Course of the Russian Federation."
The decree orders the Foreign Ministry to "defend principles of equality and mutual benefit in work on a new fundamental agreement on strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the European Union."
It also instructs the Foreign Ministry and other government agencies to "develop mutually advantageous energy partnership [with the EU] with the objective of the creation of a single European energy complex, insisting on the strict fulfillment of current bilateral and multilateral commitments."
