BRUSSELS. May 16 (Interfax) - The agenda of a European Union-Russia summit this month does not involve signing any documents because the EU and Russia "have gone a long way beyond the point in their relations where joint statements mattered," Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian ambassador to the EU, said on Tuesday.

The summit, to be held in Samara, Russia, will be "a good opportunity for Russian and EU leaders to hold a frank discussion in strategic terms about the state of their relations, possible ways of their further development, and topical international problems," the ambassador told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday.

He argued that it would be a mistake to reduce the summit's agenda to the issue of a new partnership agreement between the EU and Russia, which is to replace the current partnership agreement. Poland has vetoed the beginning of talks on the agreement in response to a Russian ban on imports of Polish meat and vegetable products.

The current partnership accord, which expires in December 2007, "will be extended annually, and there won't be any legal vacuum," Chizhov said.

"There are other matters for the summit participants to discuss in addition to this issue: filling the Four Common Spaces of cooperation in conformity with the 'road maps' that have been approved, interaction in the energy industry, transportation, agriculture, cooperation between regions," the ambassador said.

The Common Spaces are projected spheres of cooperation between the EU and Russia. They cover, according to the EU's official website, www.europa.eu, "economic issues and the environment; issues of freedom, security and justice; external security, including crisis management and non-proliferation; and research and education, including cultural aspects."

Chizhov said the summit would deal with disagreements between the EU and Russia as well.

But there are also issues "on which more fruitful cooperation is under way," he said, mentioning the Middle East peace process, nuclear nonproliferation and the Iranian nuclear program among them.