SOUTH CAUCASUS STILL EYED AS RISK ZONE

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.02.2008 17:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Despite rapid progress, the South Caucasus is
listed as a risk zone over the existence of frozen conflicts, EU
special representative for South Caucasus, Mr Peter Semneby said.

"I first visited Georgia in 1992, when the country was in
war. Presently, the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
has not been solved yet although there are no armed conflicts,"
Semneby said during the ‘European Neighborhood Policy in Georgia’
international conference in Tbilisi. "There is no evident progress in
the settlement of these conflicts in Georgia, which causes instability
in the country."

The special representative stated that elections will be held both in
Georgia and Russia in 2008 and there is an opportunity to use new tools
to settle the conflicts. "I think the Russian position and elections
to the Federation will be relevant for Georgia," Semneby said.

According to Mr Semneby, the European Union will deepen its engagement
in development of infrastructure in the conflict areas. The EU has
developed several events, which will help the region to join and
follow the European Neighborhood Policy, Semneby stated, Trend reports.