EU TO SUPPORT ANY EFFORTS IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT: SPECIAL ENVOY

Trend
June 25 2009
Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan, Astana, June 25 /Trend News, K.Konirova/

The European Union (EU) will support any efforts in the Karabakh
settlement, EU Special Envoy on South Caucasus Peter Semneby said at
the Security Forum of the Council of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership
(CEAP) in Astana on June 25.

"At present the situation in the conflict zone has a depressive
character and a ceasefire does not indicate absence of problems in
the settlement of this conflict," Semneby said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed
forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are currently
holding the peace negotiations.

A total of 30 people were killed in the conflict zone only in 2008,
he said. "We should follow the situation to advance in a correct
direction," he added.

"This is too bad that the EU does not seriously approach the situation,
but even in this case, the steps taken by Turkey and Armenia to
stabilize the situation in the region are too praiseworthy," the EU
special envoy said.