EU ACCORDS WITH SOUTH CAUCASUS NATIONS TO OPEN NEW PAGES – ARMENIAN PAPER
by Anna Akopyan

Haykakan Zhamanak, Armenia
Nov 14 2006

"New door will be opened"

Today marks a special day for the three South Caucasus states of
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia as individual action plans between
them and the European Union as part of the EU New Neighbourhood Policy
will be signed in Brussels.

This was a long-awaited event for the three states as it was delayed
for more than a year. The fact that EU approved the Action Plans with
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia simultaneously shows that these three
states will develop their relations with the EU in parallel in future.

Anyway we should say that as a result of today’s event in Brussels,
the three states will get new, more specific and in some sense,
a higher status in their contacts with the EU. Let us also note
that some political experts think that the South Caucasus regional
conflicts maybe settled by means of regional integration and the EU’s
New Neighbourhood Policy may provide them with such an opportunity.

At present, it is hard to say if the EU will show strict attitude
towards fulfilment of the three states’ obligations to the EU, but
there is no doubt that Brussels will get serious levers to track
the process.

Yesterday Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan left for Brussels to take
part in the events to be held today. He will also meet Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Brussels today. And we should
say that this second event lags behind the first one. As it became
clear to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs as well as to the parties
to the conflict long ago that no progress may be registered in the
Karabakh issue settlement process over the next two years.

For this reason, the talks continue only outwardly for preserving
dialogue. But it is not ruled out that specific decisions will be made
in the Karabakh conflict settlement process within the framework of
the EU’s New Neighbourhood Policy and thanks to that.