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EU SEEKS CLOSER TIES WITH GEORGIA, AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
Earthtime
July 15 2010
Brussels - The European Union moved Thursday to strengthen ties with
countries in the South Caucasus by announcing the start of talks on
association agreements with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The three countries are part of the EU's so-called Eastern Partnership,
a policy aimed to boost economic and political cooperation with former
Soviet countries which also includes Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus.
Within that policy, association agreements are meant to reinforce
cooperation on issues such as trade, visa-free travel and environmental
protection.
The EU's foreign policy director Catherine Ashton, who flew to
Georgia to launch of negotiations with the country, said the deals
would "impact positively not just on political relations but also on
people's lives, in terms of economic opportunities, easier contacts
with people from the EU, the environment."
EU-Azerbaijan talks are due to start on Friday in Baku, while
negotiations between the EU and Armenia are expected to set off on
July 19 in Yerevan.
The bloc is already negotiating similar deals with Ukraine and Moldova,
while contacts with Belarus are restricted due to President Alexander
Lukashenko's authoritarian regime.
From: A. Papazian
Earthtime
July 15 2010
Brussels - The European Union moved Thursday to strengthen ties with
countries in the South Caucasus by announcing the start of talks on
association agreements with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The three countries are part of the EU's so-called Eastern Partnership,
a policy aimed to boost economic and political cooperation with former
Soviet countries which also includes Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus.
Within that policy, association agreements are meant to reinforce
cooperation on issues such as trade, visa-free travel and environmental
protection.
The EU's foreign policy director Catherine Ashton, who flew to
Georgia to launch of negotiations with the country, said the deals
would "impact positively not just on political relations but also on
people's lives, in terms of economic opportunities, easier contacts
with people from the EU, the environment."
EU-Azerbaijan talks are due to start on Friday in Baku, while
negotiations between the EU and Armenia are expected to set off on
July 19 in Yerevan.
The bloc is already negotiating similar deals with Ukraine and Moldova,
while contacts with Belarus are restricted due to President Alexander
Lukashenko's authoritarian regime.
From: A. Papazian