2010-06-01 11:35

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (C) shakes hands with Herman Van Rompuy, European Council President, while European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (L) looks on, during the EU-Russia summit in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don May 31, 2010. [Agencies]

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted an informal meeting for European leaders attending the 25th summit between Moscow and Brussels here Monday evening.

Medvedev hosted a dinner at the Petrovsky Prichal restaurant on the left bank of the Don River for European Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

"It's better here than in Khabarovsk, not so far away," said Medvedev when briefly chatting with his European leaders before the dinner.

Last year the summit between Russia and the European Union (EU) on the Russian side was held at the Far East city of Khabarovsk.

"But I enjoyed the trip to Khabarovsk, it was very interesting - - Europe and the Pacific Ocean," replied Barroso as quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency.

The main event of the two-day summit falls on Tuesday when the two sides will hold their official top-level talks, with the Partnership for Modernization, lifting of visa regime, a replacement pact for comprehensive Russia-EU partnership atop the agenda.

They were also expected to discuss anti-crisis measures, energy security, climate change and other international issues at the summit.

Russia-EU summits are held twice a year -- one in Russia and the other in the country holding the EU's rotating presidency.

Rostov-on-Don is the regional capital of the Rostov region and the entire Southern Federal District. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters on the eve of the summit that for Russia's part, the choice of venue for hosting the summit at different cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Samara and Rostov-on-Don, aims at "better familiarizing our cooperative partners with the vast territory of Russia."