EU TO BECOME ENGAGED IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
Lragir.am
25 March 06
Apparently, the EU is going to enhance its efforts in the Karabakh
conflict zone. The report of the International Crisis Group, which
upholds deeper engagement of the EU in the settlement of the South
Caucasian conflicts, is not accidental. The head of the General
Department of Information under NKR President Alexander Grigoryan
believes that as long as the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the
settlement, the efforts of all the other organizations will not be
effective. `The EU is deeply interested in having stability in its
adjacent territories to be able to use the resources of these
territories, particularly, the Azerbaijani oil and gas. I think the EU
can work out a program of assistance to the reconstruction of the
post-conflict territories.
Most probably, in the counseling report a buffer zone is concerned,
which is not inhabited. It might be related to possible tensions
caused by the nuclear program of Iran. Although, I think, tensions in
the region are probable.
Of course, with this state of things, when Russian forces are
stationed in Georgia and Armenia, the U.S. mobile forces may be
deployed in Azerbaijan, and for the EU, which is not present in the
region, it will not be easy to take action against rising
tensions. Therefore, I think, in the nearest future the engagement of
the EU will be indirect and will be confined to counseling reports
without any pressure,’ said Alexander Grigoryan.
The head of the Political Department of the NKR Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Irina Beglaryan said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shares
the intention of the international community to prevent fully-fledged
wars near the borders of Europe. `In this context we endorse every
effort to establish peace and stability in the South Caucasus and to
settle the Karabakh conflict.
The aspiration of the European organizations is clear: to become more
deeply engaged in the settlement of the South Caucasian conflicts to
guarantee their own security. However, the mechanisms offered in the
report of the International Crisis Group are not applicable, for they
do not reflect the essence of the Karabakh conflict,’ said Irina
Beglaryan. As a positive aspect of the report the foreign ministry
official points out the engagement of the unrecognized countries of
the South Caucasus in the EU integration processes, as well as
parliamentary dialogue.
As to the participation of the EU Special Representative in the talks
under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, it will, on the one hand,
bring a fresh breath into the talks, and on the other hand, will
decentralize efforts.
`At the same time, I would like to state that no format of the
mediators will compensate for the absence of NKR, directly involved in
the conflict, in the talks,’ said Irina Beglaryan.