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WILL THE COUNTRIES OF SOUTH CAUCASUS GO WITHOUT A EUROPEAN VISA?
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.06.2008
The list of the countries of the "Eastern Partnership" leads to the
idea that these are the very countries, which according to the EU
need to be cut off from Russia.
The completed EU summer summit in Brussels has approved the
Polish-Swedish project "Eastern Partnership". The project "Eastern
Partnership" presupposes the establishment of the forum of a regional
cooperation of the EU countries with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as with Belarus on the expert
level. The implementation of the project "Eastern Partnership",
according to the initiators of the project, must bring to the
abrogation of the visa regime of the EU with the listed republics,
as well as the establishment of a free market zone.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For the countries of South Caucasus this project
perhaps will become a kind of mini-EU integration and when some
political analysts said that Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia may
integrate into the EU before Turkey and Croatia, not many people
believed them. However, this is exactly what may happen in the near
future. The list of the countries of the "Eastern Partnership" leads
to the idea that these are the very countries, which according to the
EU need to be cut off from Russia. No less significant is the role of
the oil and gas of Azerbaijan, on which Europe builds hopes, and which
is now totally dependent on Russian supplies. This is why one of the
main topics of the summit was energy. The truth is though, that the
summit was very careful regarding the growing oil prices. During the
sessions in Brussels no cardinal solution has been reached over this
issue, which, against Europe's will, does not depend on Russia. The
EU countries are only users of this oil and may not have influence in
one-sided order the crisis of the price growth of the energy vectors.
As the "Deutsche Weelle" writes, in the summarized documents of the
summit participant it was mentioned that "the growth of the oil prices
carries a long-term character and a long-term European measures against
its possible outcomes is demanded". In this regard the announcement
of one of the EU high-ranking officials, who wished to stay anonymous,
is rather interesting.
He insisted that issues concerning the oil prices in Europe will
become a very important topic of discussion on the summit Russia-EU
in Khanty-Mansiysk in 26-27 June.
In such conditions the Caspian oil will indeed gain strategic
significance. But the whole question is, whether it will be enough
for the growing demand or not. The oil production in the rich Caspian
region turned to be below the predictable level and the USA is very
much disappointed, said the head of the of US energy information
administration Gay Caruso. He said that according to EIA, the growth
of the oil price will continue till 2009. One of the reasons of the
discrepancy of the actual oil production with the predictable level,
according to him, is the delay of implementation of some projects in
the region. Another reason is that such price growth was not taken
into account during the predictions, writes the magazine The Hill.
True the Polish-Swedish initiative has not only energy, but also
political importance. The countries of South Caucasus Ukraine, Moldova
and Belarus may become importance "cards" in the geopolitical aspect,
and Europe, most probably, is intending to play together with the USA
and Russia. There is one more aspect: it is easier to start cooperation
on the regional level; such structures are more flexible and bring much
more benefit, than the huge EU apparatus or any other organization. It
is quite possible that the "Eastern Partnership" will also try to solve
the regional conflicts. All this certainly speaks of the advantages
of the new initiative, if it really becomes an organization. By the
way, the establishment of this kind of regional projects has been
practiced in NATO, which brings to certain positive results. If
the Mediterranean Alliance of Nicola Sarkozy is also implemented,
one may say that united Europe will not become an "interest club".
Most probably this is going to happen, because during the two-day
sessions the leaders of 27 countries did not come to an agreement
regarding the Lisbon Agreement, which was rejected by Ireland, and
whose ratification is being put off by a number of countries, including
the Czech Republic, Poland and Great Britain. The Agreement will be
discussed in October. 19 out of 27 countries have already completed
the process of ratification of the Lisbon Agreement; however the law
anticipates that the approval of all 27 countries is needed.
Implementation of the Lisbon Agreement and the reforms which
it presupposes would allow holding new elections in the European
Parliament, which are scheduled in June 2009. The new parliament must
approve the formation of the new staff of the European Commission
according to the new already reformed regulations.
Besides, implementation of this agreement will allow the EU to avoid
unpleasant problems of freezing the process of expansion. The future
candidate to be integrated into the EU is Croatia. Then only it will
be the turn for other Balkan countries. As for Turkey; this process,
according to the observers, will take no less than some more 10 years.
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.06.2008
The list of the countries of the "Eastern Partnership" leads to the
idea that these are the very countries, which according to the EU
need to be cut off from Russia.
The completed EU summer summit in Brussels has approved the
Polish-Swedish project "Eastern Partnership". The project "Eastern
Partnership" presupposes the establishment of the forum of a regional
cooperation of the EU countries with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as with Belarus on the expert
level. The implementation of the project "Eastern Partnership",
according to the initiators of the project, must bring to the
abrogation of the visa regime of the EU with the listed republics,
as well as the establishment of a free market zone.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For the countries of South Caucasus this project
perhaps will become a kind of mini-EU integration and when some
political analysts said that Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia may
integrate into the EU before Turkey and Croatia, not many people
believed them. However, this is exactly what may happen in the near
future. The list of the countries of the "Eastern Partnership" leads
to the idea that these are the very countries, which according to the
EU need to be cut off from Russia. No less significant is the role of
the oil and gas of Azerbaijan, on which Europe builds hopes, and which
is now totally dependent on Russian supplies. This is why one of the
main topics of the summit was energy. The truth is though, that the
summit was very careful regarding the growing oil prices. During the
sessions in Brussels no cardinal solution has been reached over this
issue, which, against Europe's will, does not depend on Russia. The
EU countries are only users of this oil and may not have influence in
one-sided order the crisis of the price growth of the energy vectors.
As the "Deutsche Weelle" writes, in the summarized documents of the
summit participant it was mentioned that "the growth of the oil prices
carries a long-term character and a long-term European measures against
its possible outcomes is demanded". In this regard the announcement
of one of the EU high-ranking officials, who wished to stay anonymous,
is rather interesting.
He insisted that issues concerning the oil prices in Europe will
become a very important topic of discussion on the summit Russia-EU
in Khanty-Mansiysk in 26-27 June.
In such conditions the Caspian oil will indeed gain strategic
significance. But the whole question is, whether it will be enough
for the growing demand or not. The oil production in the rich Caspian
region turned to be below the predictable level and the USA is very
much disappointed, said the head of the of US energy information
administration Gay Caruso. He said that according to EIA, the growth
of the oil price will continue till 2009. One of the reasons of the
discrepancy of the actual oil production with the predictable level,
according to him, is the delay of implementation of some projects in
the region. Another reason is that such price growth was not taken
into account during the predictions, writes the magazine The Hill.
True the Polish-Swedish initiative has not only energy, but also
political importance. The countries of South Caucasus Ukraine, Moldova
and Belarus may become importance "cards" in the geopolitical aspect,
and Europe, most probably, is intending to play together with the USA
and Russia. There is one more aspect: it is easier to start cooperation
on the regional level; such structures are more flexible and bring much
more benefit, than the huge EU apparatus or any other organization. It
is quite possible that the "Eastern Partnership" will also try to solve
the regional conflicts. All this certainly speaks of the advantages
of the new initiative, if it really becomes an organization. By the
way, the establishment of this kind of regional projects has been
practiced in NATO, which brings to certain positive results. If
the Mediterranean Alliance of Nicola Sarkozy is also implemented,
one may say that united Europe will not become an "interest club".
Most probably this is going to happen, because during the two-day
sessions the leaders of 27 countries did not come to an agreement
regarding the Lisbon Agreement, which was rejected by Ireland, and
whose ratification is being put off by a number of countries, including
the Czech Republic, Poland and Great Britain. The Agreement will be
discussed in October. 19 out of 27 countries have already completed
the process of ratification of the Lisbon Agreement; however the law
anticipates that the approval of all 27 countries is needed.
Implementation of the Lisbon Agreement and the reforms which
it presupposes would allow holding new elections in the European
Parliament, which are scheduled in June 2009. The new parliament must
approve the formation of the new staff of the European Commission
according to the new already reformed regulations.
Besides, implementation of this agreement will allow the EU to avoid
unpleasant problems of freezing the process of expansion. The future
candidate to be integrated into the EU is Croatia. Then only it will
be the turn for other Balkan countries. As for Turkey; this process,
according to the observers, will take no less than some more 10 years.