Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

EU to Become Engaged in South Caucasus

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • EU to Become Engaged in South Caucasus

    EU TO BECOME ENGAGED IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

    Lragir.am
    25 March 06


    Apparently, the EU is going to enhance its efforts in the Karabakh
    conflict zone. The report of the International Crisis Group, which
    upholds deeper engagement of the EU in the settlement of the South
    Caucasian conflicts, is not accidental. The head of the General
    Department of Information under NKR President Alexander Grigoryan
    believes that as long as the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the
    settlement, the efforts of all the other organizations will not be
    effective. `The EU is deeply interested in having stability in its
    adjacent territories to be able to use the resources of these
    territories, particularly, the Azerbaijani oil and gas. I think the EU
    can work out a program of assistance to the reconstruction of the
    post-conflict territories.

    Most probably, in the counseling report a buffer zone is concerned,
    which is not inhabited. It might be related to possible tensions
    caused by the nuclear program of Iran. Although, I think, tensions in
    the region are probable.

    Of course, with this state of things, when Russian forces are
    stationed in Georgia and Armenia, the U.S. mobile forces may be
    deployed in Azerbaijan, and for the EU, which is not present in the
    region, it will not be easy to take action against rising
    tensions. Therefore, I think, in the nearest future the engagement of
    the EU will be indirect and will be confined to counseling reports
    without any pressure,' said Alexander Grigoryan.

    The head of the Political Department of the NKR Ministry of Foreign
    Affairs Irina Beglaryan said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shares
    the intention of the international community to prevent fully-fledged
    wars near the borders of Europe. `In this context we endorse every
    effort to establish peace and stability in the South Caucasus and to
    settle the Karabakh conflict.

    The aspiration of the European organizations is clear: to become more
    deeply engaged in the settlement of the South Caucasian conflicts to
    guarantee their own security. However, the mechanisms offered in the
    report of the International Crisis Group are not applicable, for they
    do not reflect the essence of the Karabakh conflict,' said Irina
    Beglaryan. As a positive aspect of the report the foreign ministry
    official points out the engagement of the unrecognized countries of
    the South Caucasus in the EU integration processes, as well as
    parliamentary dialogue.

    As to the participation of the EU Special Representative in the talks
    under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, it will, on the one hand,
    bring a fresh breath into the talks, and on the other hand, will
    decentralize efforts.

    `At the same time, I would like to state that no format of the
    mediators will compensate for the absence of NKR, directly involved in
    the conflict, in the talks,' said Irina Beglaryan.
Working...
X