EU IS READY TO REBUILD TRUST BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA: EU SPECIAL ENVOY

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 16 2007

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby,
said at a news conference in Yerevan that the EU is disappointed
over the fact that the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents failed
to come to an agreement at their recent meeting in Saint-Petersburg,
PanARMENIAN reports.

"However, we are hopeful that the sides will concentrate during the
coming months and a mutual compromise will be achieved before Armenian
and Azerbaijani presidential election. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
has lasted for a long time already and a whole generation unaware of
the conflict has grown in both countries. Protraction of this situation
is pregnant with complications up to hostilities. The EU is ready to
rebuild trust between the states, which was lost during 15 years,"
Mr Semneby said.

At that the EU Envoy thinks that the situation has not reached a
deadlock, as the negotiations are not stopped.

Touching upon the involvement of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiations
process, the EU Envoy said that presently it is not important.

According to him, by the time Armenia and Azerbaijan come to an
agreement the presence of Karabakh’s representatives will be necessary.

"I cannot say whether the opinion of Karabakh people will be decisive
during elaboration of an agreement, but their opinion will be certainly
taken into account," Peter Semneby said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries appeared in 1988
due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani lands including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts. Since 1992 to the present
time, these territories have been under Armenian occupation. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are holding peaceful negotiations.