TASS reports that Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Monday at a press conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the decision to disconnect Russia from the international payment system SWIFT should be preceded by legal discussions in the European Union
“Any decision by the European Union must be framed by the relevant rules. Therefore, if any decision is taken, it will certainly be widely discussed legally in the European Union”, – the Portuguese foreign minister said.
Santos Silva also noted that relations between Russia and the European Union are now at one of their lowest points.
“There are sanctions adopted by both sides, there are difficulties that are present in the political dialogue between the two sides”, – he added.
Silva said that Russia could trust the European Union and see it as a reliable partner to resolve issues of common interest.
“What I want to say here, representing the country that currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, is that the European Union from my point of view is a reliable partner that can be trusted. For Russia it can also be a party that can be trusted. We are bound by our history, our geography, we are forced to accept this and the European culture, to which both the EU and Russia belong”, – he said. – “So Russia can count on the EU as a reliable partner to look at different issues of common interest”.