BRUSSELS, Nov. 18 – The European Union will support the post-Soviet states which have decided to deepen integration with the EU and third-party countries like Russia should respect their choice, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

Answering a question about the guarantees to the countries which are to sign or initial Association Agreements with the EU at the upcoming summit in Vilnius and which are currently experiencing pressure from Russia, he expressed the hope that the third countries would respect their sovereign choice.

"All countries have the right to make their sovereign choice, and I hope that all third parties will respect the sovereign decisions (of the Eastern Partnership countries) with respect to their economic integration and political association," Barroso said.