Relations between the EU and Russia continue to inch closer.  After protracted negotiations, they are ready to announce accords on economic and security co-operation. 

The nuts and bolts of the accords include progress towards creating tariff-free access to each others markets, and increased EU involvement in attempts to resolve festering conflicts in countries such as Moldova, Georgia and Tajikistan.  The planned announcement that Russia would move to sign border treaties with the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia had to be abandoned, however.

The accords shouldn’t be seen as anything close to a final agreement, however.  Fittingly for two of the world’s finest bureaucracies, the accords are really not much more than a prologue:

It was unclear how the accord would be translated into specific steps.

"It will take 10 to 15 years to make concrete changes," said Dmitry Trenin, deputy director of the Moscow Carnegie Center. "This is more of a detailed explanation of intention."

Chris Weafer, chief strategist at Moscow’s Alfa Bank, agreed that the accord would be a "blueprint."

"What this really is is a back-drop for more specific talks. It does promise to give points of contact going forward," Weafer said.

The next couple of decades sure do look to be interesting, huh?