EU HAS ALWAYS OFFERED TO CONTRIBUTE TO KARABAKH RESOLUTION: FERRERO-WALDNER

news.am
Nov 26 2009
Armenia

EU welcomes progress achieved in Karabakh peace process by OSCE
MG and calls on interested parties to sit down at the negotiation
table and seek for the solution "that will bring an end to this
conflict". European Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Nov. 26 in the
interview with Azerbaijani Trend News agency before her abdication.

"EU has always offered to contribute to the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through confidence building measures and
hopes that these can be accepted by both sides. It is too soon to
say whether the EU might play a more prominent role in the future in
resolving regional conflicts," stated Ferrero-Waldner.

According to her, only one solution agreed upon by all sides is
acceptable in Karabakh issue, "It is clear that there can only be a
negotiated solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and it is the
responsibility of the two sides to make serious efforts to resolving
the outstanding issues."

Asked about linkage between Karabakh peace process and Armenia-Turkey
reconciliation, European Commissioner expressed hope that rapprochement
"will have a beneficial effect on political developments in the
whole region."

Commenting on Eastern Partnership program and relaxation of visa
regime between the member states, Ferrero-Waldner underlined, "I am
aware that the possibility of making travel to the European Union
easier for citizens in our partner countries is a key issue for the
governments of the partner countries. Visa facilitation is related
to a number of other issues such as migration, readmission issues
and security and reliability of travel documents."