MOSCOW, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Despite political rifts between Russia and the European Union (EU), the upcoming summit between them has not been downgraded to the level of routine events in public opinion.

This is because the policy makers can make decisions at the meetings held twice a year that can affect the everyday life of common people and businesses in Russia and in Europe.

On the eve of the Russia-EU summit in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, lots of discussions are being held among local media, experts and officials on the possible outcome of the gathering.

European officials are mostly optimistic as are many of the Russian experts.

"The summit agenda includes... Russia's WTO accession, Partnership for Modernization, lifting of visa regime, negotiations for a new framework agreement, as well as international issues such as Iran, climate change and the financial crisis," Denis Daniilidis, head of press and information section of the EU Delegation to Russia, told Xinhua.

"Rostov summit's substantial agenda shows the depth of EU-Russian relations," Daniilidis said.

He also voiced the hope that "progress on visa dialogue will be examined, as well as proposals to fully use the possibilities of the visa simplification agreement."

"When there are thorny questions in bilateral relations, summits are important to soothe disagreements. However, the absence of thorny issues between Moscow and Brussels should not be considered as bad news," he said.

Prior to the summit, Russia and the EU have expressed their readiness to gradually waiver the visa regime.

At the 12th session of the Russia-EU Permanent Partnership Council on Freedom, Security and Justice that concluded Wednesday, participants agreed to strive for a visa-free regime, said Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov.

A visa regime is still in force between Russia and European countries, most of which are participants of the Schengen agreement. Visa restrictions hamper the movement of people and slow the pace of business between Russia and the EU as well as tourism and personal trips.

"This is an issue that has been there for quite a long time; still, in Rostov this issue will be discussed not as some wishful thinking but as a 'road map'," Timofei Bordachev, Director of Center for European Studies at High School of Economics, a Russian influential think-tank, told Xinhua.

"In two or three years the visa waiver agreement will be a fait accompli," he added.

Meanwhile, Bordachev noted "a completely new topic for discussions in Rostov-on-Don" was the proposed Partnership for Modernization.

"This marks a new dimension of cooperation between Russia and Europe, since it means that Russia becomes not only a receiver of European technical aid but an equal partner. Thus, cooperation between Russia and the EU will become a two-way road," said Bordachev.

At a Russia-EU summit last year in Sweden, Russia and the EU agreed to establish the joint Partnership for Modernization, which could help Moscow use the European experience in diversifying its economy and overcoming its technological backwardness.

Both sides were due to report progress on this issue at the Rostov summit.

Still, not everybody in Moscow shares this optimistic mood.

Victor Alksins, a member of Russian State Duma's International Committee, told Xinhua that he was rather pessimistic about the potential outcome of the Rostov summit.

"I expect that the Rostov summit will be held in vain and its participants will be milling the wind," he said.

One reason for the lawmaker to be pessimistic was the rather strong influence of some new EU members in the bloc, which were largely former allies of the Soviet Union.

He also believed that the venue of the summit, which is not far from the entire Caucasus region, "implies that the Europeans will unlikely keep quiet regarding the sharpest thorn in Russia-EU relations -- namely, situation around Caucasus."

"The situation there has contaminated the relations between Moscow and Europe for many years," he said, referring to Russia's recognition of the independence of the two Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

However, even this vocal critic of the West cannot completely rule out positive elements at the summit.

"There might be some movement forward in non-political areas, like technology and green energy," he said.