MARIE-ANNE ISLER BEGUIN: EFFICIENCY OF EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION IS OBVIOUS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 18 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The efficiency
of the European Union-Armenia cooperation is obvious, otherwise
neither Armenia nor another two South Caucasian republics would be
our partners, as well as the Council of Ministers and the European
Union would not call us for cooperating with Armenia, particularly,
within the framework of the New Neighborhood program,” Co-chairwoman of
the EU-Armenia parliamentary cooperation commission Marie-Anne Isler
Beguin declared in her interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent during
the interval of the commission’s 8th sitting that started on April
18 in Yerevan. According to her, the bright example of efficiency of
this cooperation is also the fact that the “EU high representative is
already in the South Caucasus”. Mrs Beguin expressed willingness that
larger possibilities be given to the representative and he can have its
contribution to the Nagorno Karabakh settlement. She also mentioned
that the issue of free and fair elections will be pivotal during the
two-day sitting as democracy is impossible without it. “We are here to
accompany our Armenian friends, to be near them and to assist them in
holding free and fair elections as far as possible,” Marie-Anne Isler
Beguin declared. In response to journalists’ questions, Mrs Beguin
also touched upon the prospects of Armenia-Turley, Armenia-Azerbaijan
relations.

She, in particular, said that the European Union has always been for
opening the borders between Turkey and Armenia and from the moment
of joining the European family this issue should be raised before
Turkey, otherwise it is not possible to make part of EU and to have
closed borders with the neighbors. The second important issue to be
raised before Turkey is the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
therefore EU calls on Turkey to raise the issue of the Genocide in
its society before joining EU. Mrs Beguin also expressed the hope that
the year 2006 can become a “window” for solving the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict as no elections are planned in both of the countries,
Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2006 and under conditions of a time-out
in home political relations it will be possible to solve interstate
issues. She stressed that only peace can bring future as it is not
possible to be on terms of hostility with neighbors for ever.