Washington, 13 October 1997 (RFE/RL) - The U.S. State Department has said the United States welcomes any effort by the Russian government to further integrate Russia into Europe.
Spokesman James Rubin commented Friday following an announcement that France, Germany and Russia had agreed in principle to hold annual meetings among themselves. The announcement was made at a Council of Europe Summit meeting in Strasbourg, France.
Rubin said it is a foundation of U.S. policy to promote Russian integration with Western institutions and organizations. He added that the U.S. believes an agreement by Russian leaders to meet regularly with other European leaders is a good thing.