PARIS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday that nobody would like a return to the Cold War, and expressed the willingness of the European Union (EU) to build a "close and positive" relationship with Russia.

"Nobody wants a return to the time of the Cold War. NATO is not an enemy but a partner of Russia. As for the EU, it is willing to build a close and positiverelationship with this country," Sarkozy said in a speech at the annual conference of ambassadors in Paris.

"It is now up to Russia to make a fundamental choice," he said, noting that France and EU wish Moscow would choose "understanding" and "cooperation" in accordance with the principles of the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"The military forces that have not yet withdrawn from the frontline, triggering hostilities, should move without delay," the French president added.

Sarkozy also reaffirmed that the EU strongly condemns Russia's recognition of the breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

"The decision, aimed at a unilateral change of borders with Georgia, is completely unacceptable," he said.
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