EVGENI KIRILOV’S SOUTH CAUCASUS REPORT RECEIVES WIDESPREAD SUPPORT IN EP FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Focus News
April 8 2010
Bulgaria

Brussels. The European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs has
adopted with a convincing majority (only one vote against) the report
by the Bulgarian MEP from the Group of Socialists and Democrats Evgeni
Kirilov, the MEP’s office announced.

The report believed to be quite comprehensive and sensitive in many
areas caused a record number of proposals for amendments. As a result
of the balanced compromising changes suggested by Evgeni Kirilov
and backed up by almost all political groups, most of the allegedly
controversial texts in the document were dealt with.

Evgeni Kirilov’s report points at the need for enhanced strategic
involvement of the European Union in South Caucasus and calls for the
development of an entire EU strategy with regard to the countries in
the region (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan).

The report gives constructive and expedient proposals for the EU’s
involvement in the solution to the unsettled conflicts in Georgia
(Abkhazia, South Ossetia) and the so-called frozen conflict in Nagorno
Karabakh (between Armenia and Azerbaijan). According to conclusions
of the report, these conflicts are the key obstacle for establishing
political stability, consistent social-economic development in the
region and improvement of the investment climate, especially in the
context of European energy security.

The document also emphasizes the key importance of the region for
European energy cooperation and security (the implementation of the
Southern energy corridor – the pipelines Nabucco and White Stream),
and suggests establishing a zone for free trade in the region.