ABHaber, EU-Turkey News Network, Belgium
Jan 17 2009
Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner to visit Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner will be traveling to Armenia, Georgia and
Azerbaijan from 19-22 January. During her visit the Commissioner will
discuss proposals to substantially upgrade the level of political
engagement with the EU’s Eastern neighbours in a new Eastern
Partnership (EaP)[1]. Implementation of each country’s European
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action will also be discussed. In Georgia
the Commissioner will discuss implementation of the up to
?¬500 million pledged to re-launch the economy and resettle
IDPs following last summer’s conflict. In Armenia and Azerbaijan she
will urge renewed efforts to find a settlement for Nagorny Karabakh/
Prior to her visit, Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: "Georgia, Armenia
and Azerbaijan are important countries for the EU, and we want to do
more to help them advance in the reform process that will bring them
greater prosperity and stability. The new Eastern Partnership offers
the prospect of a closer political and economic ties, with very
concrete help to unlock the advantages available through the ENP – for
example in the fields of trade, mobility and now, more importantly
than ever, new measures to increase these partners’ energy security
and our own. A very special relationship with the EU is on offer to
countries which choose to pursue reforms, particularly in improving
democracy, human rights and rule of law".
She added: "The EU has been the key player in ending the conflict in
Georgia, and continues to strive for progress in the Geneva process,
while making the biggest overall contribution to financial assistance
to get Georgia back to normal. Equally, the EU believes that the
region will never attain its full potential as long the frozen
conflict in Nagorny Karabakh remains unresolved, and I will want to
hear from political leaders their views on the prospects for
progress."
The trip will provide a timely opportunity to take stock of recent
developments in the South Caucasus as well as political and economic
reforms in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Other topics that will be
raised with interlocutors will include energy security; the situation
of human rights and fundamental freedoms; economic consequences of the
Georgia conflict on the region and the state of play of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as other topics of regional concern.
In Armenia the Commissioner will welcome a new initiative to deploy EU
experts inside the Armenian administration at a high level to support
reform efforts. These reforms are essential to help Armenia draw the
advantages of a closer relationship with Europe. The EU focuses in
particular on reform of the judiciary and freedom of the
media. Naturally the EU’s support for the OSCE Minsk Group efforts to
solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as improvements in
Armenian-Turkish relations will also figure high on the agenda.
In Georgia, the Commissioner confirms her full commitment to the
territorial integrity of Georgia and encourages Georgia to continue
its constructive and pragmatic approach in the Geneva discussions. The
visit is an opportunity for the Commissioner to see at first hand the
situation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Georgia, by
visiting an IDP settlement. The Commissioner will stress the European
Commission’s continuing commitment to Georgia, which can be seen not
only in the unprecedented aid package being made available but also in
the negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission that will start
as soon as possible. However she will underline that the conflict
should not distract from efforts to develop greater democratic
pluralism and rule of law.
Due to the EU’s current gas crisis, meetings in Azerbaijan will
strongly focus on energy issues and the EU’s interest in the
development of a southern gas corridor to bring gas from Azerbaijan
and Central Asia to the EU. The visit will be an opportunity to
discuss how the EaP can foster stronger energy ties in the region. In
discussions on Azerbaijan’s ENP Action Plan implementation, freedom of
the media and expression will be top of the agenda, following the
recent decision by the Azerbaijani authorities not to extend the
licenses of foreign broadcasters to broadcast on national
frequencies. As in Armenia, the Commissioner will seek briefing on
latest efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Eastern Partnership:
The Commission’s proposal for a new Eastern Partnership represents a
step change in the EU’s relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus[2], Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. This ambitious Partnership
foresees a substantial upgrading of the level of political engagement,
including the prospect of a new generation of Association Agreements,
far-reaching integration into the EU economy, easier travel to the EU
for citizens providing that security requirements are met, enhanced
energy security arrangements benefiting all concerned, and increased
financial assistance. The EU proposes much more intensive day to day
support for partners’ reform efforts through a new Comprehensive
Institution Building programme, and a new multilateral dimension which
will bring partners together to address common challenges. The new
Partnership includes new measures to support the social and economic
development of the 6 countries, and five flagship initiatives that
will give very concrete evidence of the EU’s support.
For more information:
ns/armenia/index_en.htm
nal_relations/georgia/index_en.htm
pa.eu/external_relations/azerbaijan/index_en.htm
http:/ /ec.europa.eu/external_relations/eastern/index_en. htm
[1] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and
the Council from 3. December 2008
( rn/docs/com08_823_en.pdf)
[2] The level of Belarus’ participation in the Eastern
Partnership will depend on the overall development of EU ‘
Belarus relations