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BAKU: Benita Ferrero-Waldner: EU Does Not Regard Baku-Tbilisi-Kars R

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  • BAKU: Benita Ferrero-Waldner: EU Does Not Regard Baku-Tbilisi-Kars R

    BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER: EU DOES NOT REGARD BAKU-TBILISI-KARS RAILWAY AS A TRANSPORT ROUTE HAVING AN INCLUSIVE AND "REGIONAL" CHARACTER

    Azeri Press Agency
    Feb 4 2008
    Azerbaijan

    European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood
    Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner interviewed by APA

    - What is the main purpose of the EU Troika visit to the South
    Caucasus?

    - The EU Troika will have a broad discussion with Azerbaijani
    authorities on issues of common interest, such as the implementation
    of the ENP Action Plan, human rights and elections, frozen conflicts
    in the region, regional cooperation and energy.

    - What necessitates the opening of the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan?

    - The Commission Delegation in Baku will be inaugurated during
    the EU Troika visit. We are confident that, thanks to the presence
    of a Commission office in Baku, we will be able to strengthen our
    relations with Azerbaijan and facilitate our contacts, including the
    implementation of assistance projects aimed at supporting the full
    implementation of the ENP Action Plan.

    - Why doesn't the European Commission, which does not support the
    Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, make Armenia, the ENP country,
    set free the occupied territories of Azerbaijan?

    -As regards the railway, the Commission has always stressed that
    it would support both politically and financially, transport routes
    having an inclusive and "regional" character. This does not seem to be
    the case of the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, at the least for the time
    being. Concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Commission fully
    supports the efforts being made in the context of the OSCE Minsk Group
    to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The Commission has been
    inviting both Armenia and Azerbaijan to participate in more regional
    cooperation initiatives, which can gradually build confidence between
    the two sides and facilitate the conclusion of a peace agreement.

    - The EU was expected to cooperate with the GUAM...

    - GUAM is a regional organisation with which the European Commission
    has relations and links and a certain amount of coordination is
    taking place.

    -Is the EU support to Azerbaijan for WTO accession included in
    certain projects?

    - The EU supports Azerbaijan in her accession bid to the WTO, through
    projects and dialogue. We hope that Azerbaijan will soon join the WTO,
    but this is a question of obtaining a consensus among WTO members
    and that is difficult to predict.

    A WTO component has been included into the previous TACIS Project
    "Support to Implementation of PCA".

    - How does the EU assess the Odessa-Brodi-Gdansk-Plotsk oil pipeline?

    - The European Commission continues to support the Odessa-Brody-Plotsk
    project, including through a financial assistance which prepared a
    feasibility studies for the extension to Poland.

    Therefore we welcome that Azerbaijan and other countries are involved
    in this important project. In addition, the Azeri involvement through a
    joint project of a refinery to be located in Ukraine, will contribute
    to enhancing the energy supplies in this region and Azerbaijan's full
    participation in the EU energy market.

    - Will the European Commission financially support the Trans-Caucasus
    oil and gas pipelines and the Nabucco project?

    - The Trans-Caspian and Nabucco project continue to feature as priority
    projects for EU efforts to diversify our energy supplies.

    More generally, the European Commission is supportive of those pipeline
    projects that prove to be economically and environmentally viable. The
    extended mandate of the European Investment Bank, covering also
    south Caucasus countries, is now ready to finance also infrastructure
    projects as well as other financial institutions.

    -Which measures does the EU take for peaceful resolution of the
    Nagorno Karabakh conflict, one of ten priorities of the Action Plan?

    As I said, the EU fully supports the OSCE Minsk Group in its mediation
    efforts and urges both Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a rapid,
    peaceful and mutually acceptable agreement. What the Commission can
    do in this context is to help to improve the preconditions for the
    peace deal and the environment in which it should occur. Therefore,
    the Commission has been inviting both Armenia and Azerbaijan to
    participate in more regional cooperation initiatives, which can
    gradually build confidence between the two sides and facilitate the
    conclusion of a peace agreement.
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