PanARMENIAN.Net

Benita Ferrero-Waldner: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan important
countries for EU
16.01.2009 18:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighborhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner will be traveling to
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan from January 19 to 22. During her
visit the Commissioner will discuss proposals to substantially upgrade
the level of political engagement with the EU’s Eastern neighbors in a
new Eastern Partnership (EaP), Anahit Azatyan, a spokesperson for the
European Commission Delegation to Armenia, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Implementation of each country’s European Neighborhood 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 Nagorno Karabakh.

Prior to her visit, Ms. 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 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 Nagorno 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.