RESOLUTION RELATING TO STABILITY PACT IN SOUTH CAUCASUS APPROVED AT PACE STANDING COMMITTEE’S NOVEMBER 17 SITTING

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 21 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. "I am sure that CIS in general needs
reforms for corresponding to today’s problems and challenges and,
in particular, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly," RA NA Speaker
Tigran Torosian declared at the November 21 press conference.

He presented some details about the plenary session of CIS
Interparliamentary Assembly (CIS IPA) held on November 16 in Saint
Petersburg and about the work of PACE Standing Committee sitting
convened on November 17 in San Marino.

In T.Torosian’s words, about a dozen of model laws were adopted at
the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly session. It was mentioned that a
meeting of the Caucasian Four, parliament chairmen of RF, Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan also took place in Saint Petersburg, during
which a number of issues regarding the region were discussed.

According to the preliminary agreement, the next meeting by the same
format will take place in 2007 in Tbilisi.

The report of Romanian MP Adrian Severin relating to the Stability Pact
in the South Caucasus was discussed at the PACE Standing Committee’s
sitting held on November 17 in San Marino with participation of heads
of the Assembly and the national delegations.

A resolution and a package of proposals addressed to CE Ministers’
Committee were adopted on the basis of the latter. The adopted
resolution, in particular, registers that for the present, the South
Caucasian states have no visible prospects of joining EU and it is
proposed creating "a small EU model," finding verges of conciliation
among the countries and building the relations proceeding from this
common goal.

However, as T.Torosian said, a serious work should be done for
putting into practice the registered idea, especially as "in fact,
Azerbaijan is categorically against this idea and Georgia has
some reservations." In T.Torosian’s words, though it was mentioned
during the discussions that it will be difficult to achieve this
goal, nevertheless this is "an important step in the respect that
European structures more and more precisely form the main principles
the South Caucasian countries should provide on the way to European
integration." As NA Speaker is affirmed, it will be logical if the
European structures present the respective questions to the countries
having deviated from these principles in the future.