Month: February 2012

MEMBER STATES URGE EARLY END TO CONFLICTS IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

Europolitics.info

Feb 27 2012

While welcoming the progress made in negotiations of association
agreements between the EU and Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, the
Foreign Affairs Council expressed its concerns, on 27 February, over
the ongoing conflicts in the region between Armenia and Azerbaijan
and between Georgia and Russia. “The EU reiterates its firm support
for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within
its internationally recognised borders and reiterates its concern
about continuing Russian military and security-related presence and
infrastructure reinforcements in the Georgian breakaway regions of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” the Council said in a statement. The
ministers called on Russia to “fulfill its obligations under the
ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008”. They said they were ready to
enhance their engagement with the two breakaway regions, “including
to the benefit of the people living in these regions”. Ministers also
expressed concerns “at the slow progress in the negotiations between
Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,”
especially since the recent increase of tensions along the line of
contact between the two states. They underlined “the importance of
urgent steps to implement the ceasefire and to adopt appropriate
confidence-building measures,” which they said they were ready
to support.

The Council participants welcomed the imminent start of visa
facilitation and readmission agreement negotiations with Azerbaijan
and Armenia and confirmed their readiness to promote the mobility of
citizens of Georgia by taking gradual steps, “including establishing
a two-phased visa action plan”. Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht is
travelling to Georgia on 28 February to launch negotiations on a deep
and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA).

ANTI ARMENIAN DEMONSTRATIONS IN TURKEY: ‘YOU ARE ARMENIANS; YOU ARE BASTARDS’
By Michael Santo

HULIQ.com

Feb 27 2012

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Isanbul’s Taksim Square on
Sunday carrying anti-Armenian posters and slogans, some reading
“you are Armenians, you are bastards.” The Interior Minister of
Turkey and other political leaders joined into the demonstration,
which organizers say will spread to 50 cities.

Some of the placards threatened the security of Turkey’s Armenian
minority, while others called for revenge using violence. According
to pictures taken by Armenian Weekly and posted on its Facebook page,
large groups of protesters were seen in Istanbul’s Taksim Square
chanting “Taksim Square today, Yerevan Tomorrow: We will descend upon
you suddenly in the night.”

Demonstrators said they were seeking to avenge for those killed in
the tragic events of Khojaly, which Azerbaijan claims is a massacre
by the Armenian forces. However, the president of Azerbaijan of the
time Ayaz Mutalibov has said in an interview that this was a well
planned provocation by Azerbaijan against his presidency. “As the
Khojali inhabitants, who narrowly escaped, say, it was all organized
in order to have ground for my resignation. Some forces functioned
for the effort to discredit the president,” Mutalibov told to Czech
reporter Dana Mazalova (Njvaya Gazeta,” 2.04.92).

“These hate rallies are aimed at increasing the tension between
Turkey’s and Armenia’s unstable political relationship. This is being
viewed as pure propaganda to create an anti-Armenian rally due to
the unresolved conflict related to the right of self-determination
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, which Azerbaijan does not want
to recognize. At the head of these discriminatory demonstrations
are leaders of political parties and Turkey’s Interior Minister,
Idias Naim Sahin who is fueling an already enraged group of Turks and
Azerbaijanis,” said California based Leo Bagdasarian, and Armenian
student from Los Angeles Valley College.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), was quick to condemn
the demonstrations and urged the U.S. Ambassador in Turkey Francis
Ricciardone to to take action and condemn the “government-sanctioned
incitement” to violence.

“Today’s anti-Armenian demonstrations in the streets of Istanbul —
with the Interior Minister and prominent political parties at the
helm — were clearly aimed at inciting increased racism and renewed
violence against Turkey’s own Armenian citizens and neighboring
Armenia,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “These are
not simply the violent echoes of a post-genocidal state, but the
determined actions of a pre-genocidal Turkish society that is angrily
lashing out at its imagined enemies and seeking out its next target.

We urge U.S. Ambassador Ricciardone to immediately, forcefully, and
publicly condemn this government-sanctioned incitement to violence.”

According to the Hurriyet Daily News, Turkish authorities also took
“extreme security measures” in the French and Greek consulates because
of the unrest and fear of protester violence.

NORA-YR (National Organization of Republican Armenians – Young
Republicans,) UCLA Chapter chairwoman Knarik Gasparian released a
statement to HULIQ condemning the anti-Armenian demonstrations.

NORA-YR Statement

“For a nation and a country which seeks entrance into the European
Union and masterfully hides its true face of a murderer under the
facade of a secular, developed and compassionate Western country,
yesterday’s government sanctioned anti-Armenian protests in Taksim
Square in Turkey could be seen as an uncharacteristic miscalculation.

In reality, this was the natural outburst of racism, animosity and
irrational hatred towards the Armenian people, which existed in the
country and was suppressed for far too long.

“This violent outburst leaves no doubt that anti- Armenian propaganda
is propagated by the Turkish government itself. Inadvertently, strong
anti-Armenian sentiments which existed and were facilitated by the
Ottoman government in the beginning of the twentieth century come
to mind. For a country which claims innocence concerning the events
of the Armenian Genocide and characterizes the recent pass of the
Genocide denial criminalization proposal in France as “tantamount to
discrimination, racism and violates freedom of thought”; signs which
read ‘You are all Armenians, You are all bastards,’ and ‘Today Taksim,
Tomorrow Yerevan: We will descend upon you suddenly in the night,’
are quite in accordance with the freedom of thought and speech and
contain no racism.

“As a representative of the Armenian youth, it is painful for me
to see that the barbaric sentiments, which fueled the racial and
religious discrimination against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and
culminated into the Armenian genocide are still very much present and
loudly expressed in broad daylight. It is hard to fathom how so much
hatred, prejudice and violence can exist in a society which praises
democracy and condemns human rights violations in Syria.

“Only after Turkey accepts that the Armenian massacres of 1915
constitute a genocide, will the two nations be able to peacefully
coexist, have mutual respect and achieve stability in the region.

Unfortunately, today’s public show of hostility, with its violent
rhetoric and offensive threats, does nothing to facilitate this
process of rapprochement.”

ANCA reports that somewhere between 20,000 to 50,000 people have
participated in these demonstrations and that the protest organizers
have issued statements stating they plan to organize similar
demonstrations in over 50 cities in Turkey.

EU TO PLAY BIGGER PART IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 27 2012
Russia

Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, said before the start of the Council for Foreign
Affairs in Brussels today that the European Union wants a bigger
part in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process of Azerbaijan and Armenia,
APA reports.

She noted that the council will discuss a wide range of issues
concerning the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, Armenia and
Georgia. The EU is not a mediator in the settlement of the conflict,
although Philippe Lefort was appointed as representative to the region.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN DISCUSSES FRENCH ROLE IN MINSK GROUP AT OSCE PA

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 27 2012
Russia

Azerbaijan has raised discussions of France’s role as a co-chair
of the Minsk Group at the 11th session of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly, Azerbaijani Vice Speaker of Parliament Bakhar Muradova said,
Trend reports.

The Azerbaijani delegation in Vienna also discussed the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, taking into account the recently-passed bill
on criminalization of denial of genocide in France. A French official
said that the bill was passed for all massacres and bloodshed. It
has not come into force and is being considered by the Constitutional
Council.

ARMENIA BOYCOTTS 2012 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST IN BAKU

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 27 2012
Russia

Sietse Bakker, Event Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest,
said that the Armenian Public Television has not informed about
the country’s refusal to attend the song contest in Baku this year,
Mediamax reports.

The official said that not letter on Armenia’s refusal to attend
the song contest filed to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
has been received.

A group of Armenian singers started signed a note approving the
Armenian Public Television’s initiative to boycott the contest in
Baku. The television has not commented yet.

ARMENIAN MPS DISCUSS BILL ON STATE OF EMERGENCY

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 27 2012
Russia

The Armenian parliament has approved discussions of the bill on a
state of emergency, News Armenia reports.

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan proposed Chairman of Parliament
Samvel Nikoyan to update the bill, which was approved in the first
reading on February 9. The bill says that a state of emergency should
only be imposed in case of a threat to the Constitution or attempts
to organize a coup.

A state of emergency may come into force in cases of military
rebellions, mass disorders, terrorism, occupation or blockade of
facilities, operation of illegal armed formations, ethnic, racial,
religious conflicts, resulting in violence or threats to lives.

Attempts to pass the bill were made in twice in 2007, but the
initiative was halted due to disagreements.

CO-CHAIRS OF OSCE MG TO VISIT YEREVAN AND BAKU IN EARLY MARCH

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 27 2012
Russia

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group for a settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – Robert Bradtke (USA), Igor Popov (Russia)
and Jacques Faure (France) – will visit Armenia on March 2, News.am
reports.

The officials will meet Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The latest visit of the co-chairs to Armenia was held in December 2011.

Azerbaijani media reported that the OSCE MG officials will arrive in
Baku On the morning of March 5.

TACKLING AZERBAIJAN’S IDP BURDEN

International Crisis Group

Feb 27 2012

Azerbaijan has made significant progress in recent years in caring
for roughly 600,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were
forcibly evicted from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts
by ethnic Armenian forces nearly two decades ago. Though many still
face precarious existences, the state has been investing heavily in
new housing and increasing benefits. But while some IDPs have fully
integrated, many more are still in limbo. The government and most
of the displaced favour return to their original homes. That the
stalled peace process with Armenia means this is not an immediate
prospect should not preclude IDPs from being full participants in
Azerbaijan’s political and economic life. Yet, their unresolved
fate is one of the main reminders of the conflict – and, without a
peaceful settlement, puts pressure on the Azerbaijan leadership to
prepare for the possibility of a new war.

2011 was a lost year for the peace process, as seven years of talks
on a Basic Principles agreement meant to lay the foundation for an
eventual comprehensive peace deadlocked. Baku and Yerevan are in the
midst of a major arms race and exchange increasingly militaristic
statements, while sporadic clashes along the front lines kill about 30
persons annually. Beyond some possible confidence-building measures
(CBMs), there is little likelihood of progress for the coming year,
with Armenia, Azerbaijan and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries
(France, Russia, U.S.) all entering electoral cycles. Earlier
Crisis Group reports have explored the threat of resumed fighting
and suggested ways to move toward resolution of the conflict. A
forthcoming report will again analyse the diplomatic and security
situation. This briefing, however, concentrates on a too often ignored
human consequence of the crisis.

The Azerbaijan government has begun to expend significantly more
resources to improve the lot of the displaced, who are 7 per
cent of the total population – one of the highest rates in the
world. 108,000 were moved into new housing over the past two years,
with space for 115,000 more slated to be constructed by 2015. Some
complain, however, of poor construction and infrastructure, lack of
community participation in planning and limited access to land or job
opportunities in the new communities, all areas that need additional
attention and improvement.

Azerbaijan’s IDPs benefit from free or low-cost education, health care
and energy and have some special employment opportunities, though
their ability to express their interests is limited by inability to
elect municipal representatives. The some 40,000 from Nagorno-Karabakh
are in principle represented as a group by the Azerbaijani Community
of Nagorno-Karabakh Social Union, but its leadership is not fully
popularly elected, and the 560,000 displaced from the occupied
districts around Nagorno-Karabakh are not well represented. The
political voice of IDPs thus remains weak. They should be more
effectively integrated into decision-making about housing, services,
and other community needs, as well as contingency planning for
emergencies and confidence-building measures (CBMs).

This briefing includes a section on conditions for those approximately
128,000 IDPs and permanent residents living in close proximity to
the 180km-long line of contact (LoC) that marks the 1994 ceasefire
between the opposing forces. It does not address the plight of the
Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan and vice versa who fled the initial
violence in the late 1980s, as the overwhelming majority of them have
been largely integrated into their respective new countries. Regular
exchange of fire between trenches, snipers, mines and a lingering
threat of renewed full-scale hostilities make living conditions near
the LoC particularly precarious. A small (six-person) monitoring team
from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
has virtually no resources, meaning it provides inadequate oversight
and inspires little confidence among the contending sides or civilians.

To facilitate greater IDP engagement in policies relevant to their
lives, the Azerbaijan government should:

Uincrease transparency; involve IDPs as much as possible in housing
decisions; and streamline processes for reporting incidents of
corruption or violations of state law regarding IDP issues; and
Uallow IDPs, while their villages and towns remain occupied, to vote
for municipal councils in their places of temporary residence.

To protect IDPs and other civilians along the LoC, the Azerbaijan
authorities should:

Uagree with the Armenian government and the de facto authorities
in Nagorno-Karabakh to an expanded interim OSCE monitoring role,
to an OSCE proposal to remove snipers from the LoC and to set up an
incident investigation mechanism, as well as to immediately cease
military exercises near the LoC and advancing trench positions; and
Ucreate an inter-ministerial task force, including the National Agency
for Mine Action (ANAMA), to design a strategy to increase the safety
of communities near the LoC, including more civil defence training,
while refraining from resettling additional IDPs there.

The international community, in particular the co-chairs of the
Minsk Group (France, Russia, U.S.) facilitating efforts to reach a
comprehensive peace, should:

Ufacilitate the creation of an incident investigation mechanism,
including the operation of a hotline between the sides to discuss
ceasefire breaches, and otherwise protect the civilian population
living near the LoC; and ~Udevelop more on-the-ground CBMs to create an
atmosphere of trust, including promoting civil society meetings between
the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and the ethnic Azeri
population expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and the occupied territories.

ARMENIA IN FOCUS
Thomas Michalakos

Sportsnet.ca

Feb 27 2012
Canada

When you think of budding football nations, Armenia would not make
the cut.

Since gaining independence after the split-up of the Soviet Union
in 1992, the Highlanders have never qualified for a major tournament
and are normally considered a stepping stone for the more established
national teams in UEFA. Most consider them as an easy three points,
lumped in with similar minnows such as San Marino, Andorra, Moldova
and Liechtenstein.

But the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign resulted in a major change of
fortune, with Armenia becoming the predator instead of the prey and
coming within 90 minutes of making history.

With Canada set to play Armenia in Cyprus Wednesday in a friendly,
most people are unaware of the Canucks’ latest opponents. Here is a
rough guide on what you need to know about Armenian football and who
to watch out for when the two countries meet.

History

In just under 20 years, Armenia has made significant strides to gain
respectability in the world of football. Their lowest FIFA ranking was
159 (June 1994), but now the tiny nation of just over three million
inhabitants are 41st in the world and 25th in Europe, their best ever
seeding in their short history.

Development has not been easy, especially prior to 1991 when the
domestic league fell under the Soviet football pyramid and was
nothing more than a regional tournament. Some of the country’s best
even suited up for the USSR. After the collapse of communism, the
Armenian Football Federation was formed and they immediately created
their own identity by setting up a Premier League, First Division
and domestic cup competition (Independence Cup) in 1992.

Currently the top tier consists of eight teams and the second tier
has nine, although all the clubs in the lower division are reserve
sides from the Premiership. FC Pyunik is the most decorated club in
Armenian football with 13 league titles, five Independence Cups and
eight Armenian Supercups. They are also the most popular club in the
country and boast an incredible list of graduates — most of the top
players in Armenia have come through their youth set-up.

However last year saw a new team lift the title for the first time
in ten seasons, with Ulisses FC being crowned champions. No club
has ever made it to the group stages of a European competition,
a statistic that might soon change.

Qualification Results

First International Match: Armenia vs. Moldova (0-0) in Yerevan

1996 European Cup Qualifying: last place in their group, beat Macedonia
in Skopje for their only victory. Conceded seventeen times and only
scored five goals in 10 matches. Almost earned a result in Seville
against Spain, but lost on a second-half penalty.

1998 World Cup Qualifying: finished in fourth place ahead of Northern
Ireland and Albania, but 12 points back of a birth to the finals.

Started the group stage with a morale-boosting goalless draw at home
to Portugal, and recorded a 3-0 victory over the last-place Albanians
towards the end of qualifying.

2000 European Cup Qualifying: finished second from bottom, with both
wins coming against last-place Andorra. Best result in defeat came
against France, losing 3-2 at the Hrazdan Stadium after taking the
early lead.

2002 World Cup Qualifying: another last place finish, ending without
a win and five draws in 10 matches. Best result came in 1-1 draw at
home to eventual group winners Poland, and lost a heartbreaker to
Ukraine 3-2 after being taking a two-goal lead at home.

2004 European Cup Qualifying: beat Northern Ireland twice to finish
ahead of them in the group, fourth from five teams and ten points
off a playoff spot that included eventual cup winners Greece

2006 World Cup Qualifying: both wins came against lowly Andorra,
which kept them from finishing at the foot of the group. Terrible
defensively, conceding 25 goals in twelve matches, most in their
history at a major tournament. Almost produced a shocking result in
Yerevan against group winners Netherlands, but a second-half goal by
Ruud van Nistelrooy ruined a good overall performance.

2008 European Cup Qualifying: UEFA decided to cancel both legs versus
Azerbaijan, leaving both teams with only 12 matches played instead of
14. Finished second-last in group, but recorded back-to-back victories
against Kazakhstan and Poland, before tying Portugal at home. Despite
positive results, four goals scored came in those three matches.

2010 World Cup Qualifying: Another disappointing finish, dead last
in group with a single victory against Belgium at home. The result
was followed by an impressive performance versus Spain, coming from
behind before losing 2-1 from a second-half penalty by Juan Mata. Only
six goals scored in 10 matches.

2012 European Cup Qualifying: best result yet, finishing third and
missing a playoff spot by four points. Won five matches from 10,
leading group with 22 goals scored. Beat Slovakia in both legs,
recording their best ever result with a 4-0 victory in Zilina. Loss
on final day ended Cinderella run. Armenia scored two goals in the
match, however one was an own goal by Valeri Aleksanyan which gave
Ireland the 2-1 win.

Players to Watch

Gevorg Ghazaryan (Metalurh Donetsk): plays as an attacking midfielder
or a striker and earned first international cap in 2007. He has scored
six goals in 23 matches for the national team, five of them coming
in 2012 qualifying, and is one of Armenia’s main goal threats.

Marcos Pizzelli (FC Kuban Krasnodar): Brazilian by birth, the attacking
midfielder made his debut for the national side in 2008 after gaining
citizenship, scoring five goals in 18 matches — four of them coming
from the recent qualifying campaign. He spent five seasons in the
Armenian top flight, winning three scoring titles with 75 goals in
total. Possesses the skill to also create chances for teammates and
is one of the team’s main threats in the offensive zone.

Yura Movsisyan (FC Krasnodar): played in the MLS for Real Salt Lake
between 2007 and 2009. The forward led the team with five assists in
qualifying, and is not afraid to pull the trigger if given a chance
on goal, adding four goals in the process.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Shakhtar Donetsk): by far the best player on the
pitch for Armenia. The midfielder was purchased for 7.5 million Euros
from his former employers Metalurh Donetsk last year, and made his
Champions League debut this season. Netted eight times in 27 matches
for the national team, six of those strikes came in qualification
for the team lead. Only three goals shy of Armenia’s all-time leader
Arthur Petrosyan

Sargis Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik): the 39-year-old defender is national
team captain and leads by example at the back. He has accumulated 125
international caps in 20 years of service, becoming Armenia’s all-time
leader. Over 300 appearances with FC Puynik, achieved legendary
status in his country for being one of their most decorated players,
winning nine Armenian Premiership titles and four Independence Cups.

Roman Berezovsky (Dynamo Moscow): considered one of the country’s best
goalkeepers of all-time, with 69 international caps under his belt.

Most of career spent in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Khimki,
racking up 300 appearances in total for both clubs. Earned four clean
sheets in 2012 Euro qualifying, helping Armenia concede the fewest
amount of goals in a single tournament — their best defensive result
with only 10 goals allowed in as many matches.

——————————————————————————–
International friendlies: Watch England-Netherlands live on Sportsnet,
Germany-France live on Sportsnet World and Italy-USA live on Sportsnet
ONE starting at 2:30pm ET on February 29.

——————————————————————————–

The Manager

Vardan Minasyan officially took over as full-time manager in February
2010, and has guided the team through their recent turnaround. Only 38
years old, his professional playing career was short-lived and ended
in 2003, spending most of that time with FC Pyunik as a midfielder.

Minasyan has earned the trust of his players by producing results
and has developed a solid foundation that will continue to improve
through time. Armenia plays an attacking brand of football (4-3-3)
under their new manager, but his players are well drilled on keeping
things tight in the defensive end.

The Final Verdict

This will be a great test for Canada, as Armenia sits 30 places
above them in the FIFA rankings and hold a higher seed than all
three opponents the Canucks will face in the third round of CONCACAF
qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Thomas Michalakos is a former associate producer with Sportsnet’s
Soccercentral and writes the weekly blog Soccerholic365. Follow Thomas
on Twitter.

THE EU EXPRESSES ITS CONCERN AT THE SLOW PROGRESS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO RESOLVE THE NK CONFLICT

APA
Feb 27 2012
Azerbaijan

Brussels. Victoria Dementyeva-APA. The EU takes note of the progress
made in the negotiations on an Association Agreement between the EU and
Azerbaijan and encourages enhanced efforts to make further progress,
reads Council Conclusions on the South Caucasus.

The EU also expresses its commitment to upgrading the trade and
investment provisions of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,
which would serve as a basis for Azerbaijan’s future WTO membership
and a possible DCFTA with the EU, APA reports.

The EU also welcomes the imminent start of Visa Facilitation and
Readmission Agreement negotiations. The EU emphasises the need for
progress in democratic reform, the rule of law and respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in freedom of expression
and assembly, as well as principles of international law as a crucial
factor for the further deepening of the EU’s bilateral relations
with Azerbaijan. The EU notes that further efforts are required in
this regard. The EU will closely monitor developments in Azerbaijan
leading up to the Presidential elections in 2013.

The EU calls on Azerbaijan to extend an invitation to the Special
Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
for political prisoners.

The EU also stresses the importance of making further efforts
in fighting corruption, as a key condition for the success of all
reform and modernization efforts, especially those affecting economic
development.

The EU recalls the importance of energy issues for EU-Azerbaijan
relations and notes recent intensified cooperation. The EU welcomes
progress in the realisation of the Southern Corridor in this
regard, including the launching of negotiations between Azerbaijan,
Turkmenistan and the EU on the development of a Trans-Caspian Pipeline.

The EU expresses its concern at the slow progress in the negotiations
between Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. In this regard, the EU continues to supports the OSCE Minsk
Group and acknowledges in this context the efforts of the President
of the Russian Federation Dmitryi Medvedev to achieve progress in
trilateral talks.

The EU reiterates its support for the Madrid principles and calls on
Armenia and Azerbaijan to step up their efforts to reach agreement
on those principles as a basis for peace. The EU recalls the joint
statement of the presidence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair
countries at the G8 Summit in Deauville on 26 May 2011 and the
commitments made by the Presidents of both countries in the framework
of the Minsk Group, most recently in Sochi, and calls for their full
implementation. In this regard, the EU expresses concern on increased
tension along the Line of Contact and underlines the importance of
urgent steps to implement the ceasefire and to adopt appropriate
confidence building measures.

The EU stands ready to provide enhanced support for confidence
building measures, in support of and in full complementarity with the
Minsk Group, with a view to facilitating further steps towards the
implementation of peace. In this regard, the EU underlines the need for
unconditional access for representatives of the EU to Nagorno-Karabakh
and surrounding regions. The Council invites the High Representative
and the Commission to develop, in close consultation with the OSCE,
post conflict scenarios for Nagorno-Karabakh as a basis for future
EU engagement.”