Balkans solution hardly to work in Karabakh – EU

Balkans solution hardly to work in Karabakh – EU

May 10, 2013 | 17:41

The agreement reached between Serbia and Kosovo is unlikely in case of
the Karabakh conflict, said European Commissioner for Enlargement and
European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule in an exclusive interview to
Radio Liberty.

Fule commented on the question whether the European Union could
support such an initiative in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh.

`I believe that such an agreement could be achieved in the Balkans,
but it is unlikely in Nagorno-Karabakh,’ Fule said.

One of the reasons why EU will not promote such an initiative is that
there has been established a special format for Karabakh conflict
settlement, which is the OSCE Minsk Group working on the so-called
`Madrid principles’.

The Commissioner added that this does not mean that the EU rules out
its role in the process of the settlement.

`Firstly, we contribute to the negotiations, and secondly, we are
involved in the process of strengthening trust between the parties,
thus hopefully creating more favorable conditions,’ he said.

Fule also stressed that the EU continues to closely monitor the status
of human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan.

`Some critics argue that the EU turns a blind eye to these questions,
as it is interested in rich oil and gas resources of Azerbaijan. How
would you comment on this statement?’ Radio Liberty asked Stefan Fule.

In response EU official noted that such statements are not true.

`If you follow my statements made during a recent visit to Baku, it is
clear that these values – human rights, democracy and freedom – have
been particularly important implications for the EU. Azerbaijan has
great potential to deepen relations with the EU, but because of the
mentioned issues we are not able to realize these opportunities yet,’
Fule added.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress