EU Accord With Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia Must Be Updated

[Zakarian Garnik]

EU ACCORDS WITH AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, GEORGIA MUST BE UPDATED

Interfax
Russia
Sept 15 2009

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet has proposed renewing the
European Union's agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.The
agreements on partnership and cooperation, signed ten years ago, have
become obsolete and must be renewed, the Estonian Foreign Ministry
told Interfax citing Paet's statement at a meeting of the European
Union foreign ministers.

Talks must be launched on new framework agreements, if the EU is to
develop stronger ties with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, Paet said.

New agreements on associated membership with South Caucasus partners
is envisioned in the Eastern Partnership program initiative, in
the framework of European neighborhood policy, the Estonian foreign
minister said.

Hopefully, talks with the European Commission will start in the near
future, he said.

But success will depend primarily on the political will, readiness
and ability to deliver on the obligations assumed by each state of
the South Caucasus, he said.