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BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER: MILITARY OPTION IS NEVER AN OPTION
Tatul Hakobyan
"Radiolur"
06.02.2008 17:23
February 4-6 the EU Troika visited the countries of the South
Caucasus. The delegation comprised EU Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the
Foreign Minister of Slovenia Dmitri Rupel and EU Special Representative
for the South Caucasus Peter Semenby.
During today's press conference Rupel said: "EU is visiting Armenia
as a very important place in South Caucasus to find out about
developments, to offer assistance, but also to listen to the views of
our Armenian friends. The EU has a policy for the whole South Caucasus,
it is part of our European Neighborhood Policy and the main massage
that we are trying to send is that our friends should also be friends
with each other. We are trying to do our best to contribute as much
as we can that our friends also become friends with each other. We
have discussed some technical matters regarding the Action Plan, we
have discussed political issues, certainly here the top priorities
for the EU are human rights, strengthening the democratic structures
and of course attention to the media."
Turning to the forthcoming presidential elections in Armenia,
Dmitri Rupel said: "Wd think the presidential elections will be a
proper opportunity for progress, although the past parliamentary
elections were not bad, either. The Slovenian Foreign Minister noted
that the issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
and Armenian-Turkish relations were discussed during the meetings
in Armenia. Noting that there are no diplomatic relations and the
border remains closed, Rupel assured the EU will try to assist in
the improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations.
EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood
Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner had declared prior to her visit:
"Over a year after we embarked into our joint Action Plans, the
relations between the EU and the countries of the Southern Caucasus
are growing ever closer." She said during the press conference that
the Neighborhood Policy is a real policy to bring all the countries
that are around the enlarged EU much closer to the Union, and of course
it depends very much on the chances also that the country takes and I
think Armenia takes its chances and wants to take. We are in the midst
of the pass, a lot of progress has been made but there is still some
more progress that has to be made both on the economic development and
business investment issues, human rights, rule of law and issues which
regard to democracy. But we do hope that the presidential elections
will indeed be free and fare, I think the last elections already have
shown good result. We are confident that the elections will be
Turning to the militant statements of Azerbaijan, Rupel said the
EU certainly stands against the military solution to the conflict,
be it Karabakh or any other conflict. For her part, Benita Ferrero
Waldner stated that military option is never an option.
Tatul Hakobyan
"Radiolur"
06.02.2008 17:23
February 4-6 the EU Troika visited the countries of the South
Caucasus. The delegation comprised EU Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the
Foreign Minister of Slovenia Dmitri Rupel and EU Special Representative
for the South Caucasus Peter Semenby.
During today's press conference Rupel said: "EU is visiting Armenia
as a very important place in South Caucasus to find out about
developments, to offer assistance, but also to listen to the views of
our Armenian friends. The EU has a policy for the whole South Caucasus,
it is part of our European Neighborhood Policy and the main massage
that we are trying to send is that our friends should also be friends
with each other. We are trying to do our best to contribute as much
as we can that our friends also become friends with each other. We
have discussed some technical matters regarding the Action Plan, we
have discussed political issues, certainly here the top priorities
for the EU are human rights, strengthening the democratic structures
and of course attention to the media."
Turning to the forthcoming presidential elections in Armenia,
Dmitri Rupel said: "Wd think the presidential elections will be a
proper opportunity for progress, although the past parliamentary
elections were not bad, either. The Slovenian Foreign Minister noted
that the issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
and Armenian-Turkish relations were discussed during the meetings
in Armenia. Noting that there are no diplomatic relations and the
border remains closed, Rupel assured the EU will try to assist in
the improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations.
EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood
Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner had declared prior to her visit:
"Over a year after we embarked into our joint Action Plans, the
relations between the EU and the countries of the Southern Caucasus
are growing ever closer." She said during the press conference that
the Neighborhood Policy is a real policy to bring all the countries
that are around the enlarged EU much closer to the Union, and of course
it depends very much on the chances also that the country takes and I
think Armenia takes its chances and wants to take. We are in the midst
of the pass, a lot of progress has been made but there is still some
more progress that has to be made both on the economic development and
business investment issues, human rights, rule of law and issues which
regard to democracy. But we do hope that the presidential elections
will indeed be free and fare, I think the last elections already have
shown good result. We are confident that the elections will be
Turning to the militant statements of Azerbaijan, Rupel said the
EU certainly stands against the military solution to the conflict,
be it Karabakh or any other conflict. For her part, Benita Ferrero
Waldner stated that military option is never an option.