INTENSIFICATION OF RELATIONS WITH EASTERN COUNTRIES IS IN THE EU’S VITAL INTEREST

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2009 19:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Eastern Partnership Summit to strengthen EU links
with Eastern Europe and South Caucasus The first Eastern Partnership
(EP) summit in Prague on 7 May will gather leaders from the EU Member
States, EU institutions and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to launch this new framework of
reinforced bilateral and multilateral cooperation. This ambitious
initiative will lead to deepening of political and economic relations,
more energy security, increased mobility and will give an additional
boost to pro-democratic and market oriented reforms in partner
countries.

President Jose’ Manuel Barroso will represent the European Commission,
accompanied by Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighborhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The Summit will be hosted
by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek representing the rotating
EU Presidency.

"The time has come for a visible step change in relations with our
East European neighbors" – said President Barroso. "It’s in the EU’s
vital interest to intensify relations with these countries aiming for
political association and economic integration in order to promote
more stability and security on the EU’s Eastern border. Through the
Eastern Partnership the EU also shows its solidarity with the partners
so deeply affected by the consequences of the current financial and
economic crisis," Euro Committee press release cited him as saying.