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ANALYST SEES GROWING EU SUPPORT FOR AZERBAIJAN'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
news.az
Aug 2 2010
Azerbaijan
Borut Grgic News.Az interviews Borut Grgic, founder of the
trans-Caspian initiative at the EPC in Brussels, and Institute for
Strategic Studies in Slovenia.
Azerbaijan has started negotiations with the EU on an association
agreement. Could this process weaken Azerbaijan and its neighbours'
dependence on Russia?
Azerbaijan has always had a multiple-vector foreign policy in order
to endure no significant dependence on any single external actor.
Strengthening of relations with the EU is not a zero sum equation.
Neither party sees it this way. Rather, with the EU accession talks
progressing, Azerbaijan will have more room to press for even deeper
cooperation with Russia, and other regional players, most notably
Turkey.
Do you share the opinion that the Russian-Georgian war scared the West
and now the US and NATO prefer not to anger the Russians by active
military and other contacts with Georgia and other Russian neighbours?
I don't agree. Obama's policy toward the region is still in the
making. I would say that Washington under the new administration
simply had other priorities. Now, we are seeing a new convergence
between Washington and the region, including Azerbaijan. US policy
towards Russia is a separate issue. NATO never had a political vision
for this region - in terms of a coherent view on membership.
The security sphere is one of the areas of EU-Azerbaijani cooperation
in the association agreement. Do you think that Europe is really able
to strengthen security in the South Caucasus?
Yes, especially if we can deploy a mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to help
secure the end deal, and help monitor the terms of this end agreement.
Do you see any parallels between the UN International Court decision
on Kosovo and Armenia's attempts to justify occupation of Azerbaijani
land?
No. The legal opinion of the ICJ in the case of Kosovo is a unique
experience. After all, the court stated an opinion on a question
pertaining to the legality of the declaration of independence by
Kosovo. It said nothing about the political principles behind this
declaration.
What is the common European view on settling the Karabakh problem? Do
the sympathies of European states lie more with the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan or the right to self-determination of the
Armenians, who already have their own independent state?
I would say Europe doesn't have a clear end goal in mind, which
probably is the reason why we remain a weak actor in this conflict
resolution. But even here, things are changing. I would say a number
of important events recently took place that show EU support for
Azerbaijan's territorial integrity; most notable was the passing of
the resolution on this issue by the EU Parliament earlier this year.
From: A. Papazian
news.az
Aug 2 2010
Azerbaijan
Borut Grgic News.Az interviews Borut Grgic, founder of the
trans-Caspian initiative at the EPC in Brussels, and Institute for
Strategic Studies in Slovenia.
Azerbaijan has started negotiations with the EU on an association
agreement. Could this process weaken Azerbaijan and its neighbours'
dependence on Russia?
Azerbaijan has always had a multiple-vector foreign policy in order
to endure no significant dependence on any single external actor.
Strengthening of relations with the EU is not a zero sum equation.
Neither party sees it this way. Rather, with the EU accession talks
progressing, Azerbaijan will have more room to press for even deeper
cooperation with Russia, and other regional players, most notably
Turkey.
Do you share the opinion that the Russian-Georgian war scared the West
and now the US and NATO prefer not to anger the Russians by active
military and other contacts with Georgia and other Russian neighbours?
I don't agree. Obama's policy toward the region is still in the
making. I would say that Washington under the new administration
simply had other priorities. Now, we are seeing a new convergence
between Washington and the region, including Azerbaijan. US policy
towards Russia is a separate issue. NATO never had a political vision
for this region - in terms of a coherent view on membership.
The security sphere is one of the areas of EU-Azerbaijani cooperation
in the association agreement. Do you think that Europe is really able
to strengthen security in the South Caucasus?
Yes, especially if we can deploy a mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to help
secure the end deal, and help monitor the terms of this end agreement.
Do you see any parallels between the UN International Court decision
on Kosovo and Armenia's attempts to justify occupation of Azerbaijani
land?
No. The legal opinion of the ICJ in the case of Kosovo is a unique
experience. After all, the court stated an opinion on a question
pertaining to the legality of the declaration of independence by
Kosovo. It said nothing about the political principles behind this
declaration.
What is the common European view on settling the Karabakh problem? Do
the sympathies of European states lie more with the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan or the right to self-determination of the
Armenians, who already have their own independent state?
I would say Europe doesn't have a clear end goal in mind, which
probably is the reason why we remain a weak actor in this conflict
resolution. But even here, things are changing. I would say a number
of important events recently took place that show EU support for
Azerbaijan's territorial integrity; most notable was the passing of
the resolution on this issue by the EU Parliament earlier this year.
From: A. Papazian