Juncker: EU and Russia must work together on security agenda

BRUSSELS, (Patria) - Russia is an important player and without it, there is no security agenda for Europe, says European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, emphasizing that the European Union and Russia must re-establish contact and overcome the "Cold War rhetoric" of the past, reports Al Jazeera.

- We must learn to talk to the Russians on equal footing, looking each other in the eye - Juncker said in an interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw.

The head of the EC also states that "his friend (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was very unpleasantly surprised in 2014 by the statement of then-US President Barack Obama that Russia is only a regional power," reports the portal Politico in its European edition.

Juncker made this comment at a time of heightened tensions between the EU and Russia due to Russia's presence in Syria, as well as due to Russia's alleged involvement in the nerve agent poisoning case in Salisbury and accusations of Russian interference in the national elections of several countries, the portal states.

In the interview with the Dutch newspaper, the EC President also warned that Europe's power on the world stage is declining while other powerful players are on the rise.

- We Europeans sometimes think we are the bosses in the world. We forget that we are a small and weak part of the universe. We are losing economic power. Slowly but surely, we are falling from 25 percent of global gross national income to 18 to 16 percent - he points out.

The EU, Juncker explains, is also on the losing side in demographic terms.

- We exist in a cultural sense, but we are not dominant. That is why I always call for everyone to be more modest. We actually need to listen to the rest of the world - Juncker explained.

In addition, he hinted that some EU member states, including the Netherlands, are hypocritical in their criticism of his efforts to give the Commission a greater political role.

- It is ridiculous that prime ministers who are not for a political commission, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, always call us immediately when they have a problem at home - Juncker concludes.