MOSCOW, October 22 (RIA Novosti) - Portugal's ambassador to Russia said that despite the upcoming change of government in Poland, Warsaw is still unlikely to back the resumption of talks on a Russia-EU partnership deal any time soon.

With 99% of votes counted following Sunday's election, the center-right pro-business opposition party Civic Platform has 41 percent of votes, giving it a resounding victory over the conservative prime minister's ruling Law and Justice Party, with 32 percent.

Manuel Marcelo Curto made the comments ahead of a Russia-EU summit in Mafra, Portugal, set for October 26, which he does not expect to lead to any progress for the Russia-EU partnership and cooperation agreement expiring in December 2007. Poland has vetoed the agreement over Russia's embargo on its meat products.

"I have no right to comment on the elections in Poland but, honestly and realistically speaking, the mandate is unlikely to be provided," the ambassador of Portugal, which is currently presiding over the EU, told a news conference in Moscow, but added his country was working to change the situation.

Russian politicians are more optimistic than the Portuguese ambassador. Vasily Likhachyov of the international committee of the upper house said Warsaw had been sending positive signals recently that the critical situation in bilateral relations must be overcome and Poland would stop antagonizing Russia and the EU.

"European solidarity must mean being friends together and addressing problems jointly," he said.

Another parliamentarian is also pinning his hopes on the new Polish leadership. "The focus on narrowly-defined nationalistic interests will shift to collective efforts, both inside the EU and NATO, and indirectly in relation to Russia," said Konstantin Kosachev, who heads the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of Russia's parliament, the State Duma.