PETER SEMNEBY EXPECTS HOLDING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS FROM ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JULY 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The work on the
Armenia-EU Actions Plan within the framework of the New Neighborhood
policy is coming to an end and it is quite possible that EU and the
three South Caucasian countries will sign the respective document
soon. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Special Representative
of EU to the South Caucasus Peter Semneby declared this at the July
24 joint press conference.
Both speakers expressed satisfaction with the results of Peter
Semneby’s visit to Armenia. As RA Foreign Minister said, during
his meeting with Semneby they discussed issues connected with the
course of preparation of the Actions Plan, peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenian-Turkish relations, situation on
the Georgian-Russian border, as, in Semneby’s words, the closure of
the Verin Lars check-point creates great problems for the region on
the whole. Besides, issues connected with the forthcoming parliamentary
elections of Armenia to be held in 2007 were discussed. Vartan Oskanian
emphasized that EU attaches great importance to holding of free and
fair elections.
In his turn, Peter Semneby said that a special attention is paid to
holding of democratic elections in the Actions Plan. After the adoption
of the Actions Plan holding of elections will have great qualitative
importance for the further interrelations between Armenia and EU,
as the provision on holding free and fair elections is one of the
most important ones in the Actions Plan.
"Our expectations from the forthcoming elections in Armenia are
that any elections should be held in accordance with the acting
standards. I expect the elections to be free and fair, after all,
Armenia has assumed the respective commitments towards the European
structures," Peter Semneby declared.