PETER SEMNEBY: I HOPE THE IMPROVEMENTS OBSERVED IN THE SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL CONTINUE

APA
Nov 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Viktoria Dementieva – APA. "I hope the improvements observed
in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict will continue. Much
has been achieved up to now. The sides are close to each other and
it can not be lost," special representative of the European Union for
the South Caucasus Peter Semneby told journalists in Baku, APA reports.

Avoiding assessment of the present stage of the negotiations,
Peter Semneby said he does not want to comment on the essence of the
process of negotiations in the sensitive moment when the presidents
are expected to hold the next meeting.

"The fact that the presidents and foreign ministers continue meeting
is in itself a positive sign," he said.

Touching on the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, Semneby
said the European Union assesses this process positively.

"We want to see this region as the one with open borders, where people
can travel easily. Commercial relations will bring the countries
of the region closer. The present situation in the Caucasus is not
normal at all – Armenia-Turkey, Armenia-Azerbaijan and Georgia-Russia
borders are closed. There should be a beginning. Much enough has been
achieved in this complex process of negotiations. We hope that serious
improvements will be made in the other open issues, including Nagorno
Karabakh conflict," he said.

Peter Semneby underlined that at the meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov they discussed Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
court judgment on bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh.