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EU DEALS WITH AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA TO MAKE REGION SAFER - EUROPARLIAMENT
ITAR-TASS
April 18, 2012 Wednesday 10:36 PM GMT+4
Russia
The association agreements that the EU is negotiating with Armenia
and Azerbaijan should make the region safer, both by promoting a
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and by making EU
support conditional upon their human rights performance and democratic
reforms. On these, both countries still have a long way to go, MEPs
say in resolutions adopted Wednesday, April 18.
The resolutions praise Armenia's reform ambitions and energy
cooperation to date with Azerbaijan, but also warn against human
rights breaches, in connection the 2012 Eurovision song contest in
Baku, Azerbaijan and the May 6 parliamentary elections in Armenia.
MEPs call on both countries to do more to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. The resolutions condemn the region's militarisation and high
military expenditure and call on EU Member States to stop supplying
weapons and munitions to both countries.
Parliament also calls on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to
tone down the language of their statements to pave the way for a
genuine dialogue.
Both rapporteurs stressed that although the association agreements
could not resolve the conflict, the EU should strive to contribute to
stability in the region, for example by focusing on the importance of
youth exchange and academic mobility to promote confidence building
during the negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission
agreements.
The Azerbaijan resolution's rapporteur Anneli Jaatteenmaki (ALDE, FI)
stressed that energy cooperation, although important, "cannot develop
if peoples' rights are not taken into account. "We have to admit great
shortcomings in this regard in Azerbaijan. People are being arrested
and homes searched. However, this does not mean that the Eurovision
Song Contest should be boycotted. If we want a deeper cooperation
with Azerbaijan, why then boycott Eurovision song contest?", she said.
MEPs praise Armenia's efforts to pursue ambitious reforms to
incorporate EU practices in justice, freedom, security and especially
migration sectors, but stress the need to ensure that its May
parliamentary elections are free and fair.
The resolution notes that in Armenia's previous elections, people were
killed in police attempts to prevent an opposition demonstration and
notes that Armenia has yet to complete a "transparent and impartial
investigation of the events of 1 March 2008".
Negotiations for association agreements with Armenia and Azerbaijan
were launched in July 2010. So far 24 out of 28 negotiating chapters
have been closed in negotiations with Armenia and 13 out of 28 with
Azerbaijan. Both agreements will need Parliament's consent to enter
into force.
From: A. Papazian
ITAR-TASS
April 18, 2012 Wednesday 10:36 PM GMT+4
Russia
The association agreements that the EU is negotiating with Armenia
and Azerbaijan should make the region safer, both by promoting a
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and by making EU
support conditional upon their human rights performance and democratic
reforms. On these, both countries still have a long way to go, MEPs
say in resolutions adopted Wednesday, April 18.
The resolutions praise Armenia's reform ambitions and energy
cooperation to date with Azerbaijan, but also warn against human
rights breaches, in connection the 2012 Eurovision song contest in
Baku, Azerbaijan and the May 6 parliamentary elections in Armenia.
MEPs call on both countries to do more to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. The resolutions condemn the region's militarisation and high
military expenditure and call on EU Member States to stop supplying
weapons and munitions to both countries.
Parliament also calls on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to
tone down the language of their statements to pave the way for a
genuine dialogue.
Both rapporteurs stressed that although the association agreements
could not resolve the conflict, the EU should strive to contribute to
stability in the region, for example by focusing on the importance of
youth exchange and academic mobility to promote confidence building
during the negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission
agreements.
The Azerbaijan resolution's rapporteur Anneli Jaatteenmaki (ALDE, FI)
stressed that energy cooperation, although important, "cannot develop
if peoples' rights are not taken into account. "We have to admit great
shortcomings in this regard in Azerbaijan. People are being arrested
and homes searched. However, this does not mean that the Eurovision
Song Contest should be boycotted. If we want a deeper cooperation
with Azerbaijan, why then boycott Eurovision song contest?", she said.
MEPs praise Armenia's efforts to pursue ambitious reforms to
incorporate EU practices in justice, freedom, security and especially
migration sectors, but stress the need to ensure that its May
parliamentary elections are free and fair.
The resolution notes that in Armenia's previous elections, people were
killed in police attempts to prevent an opposition demonstration and
notes that Armenia has yet to complete a "transparent and impartial
investigation of the events of 1 March 2008".
Negotiations for association agreements with Armenia and Azerbaijan
were launched in July 2010. So far 24 out of 28 negotiating chapters
have been closed in negotiations with Armenia and 13 out of 28 with
Azerbaijan. Both agreements will need Parliament's consent to enter
into force.
From: A. Papazian