It is quite possible that South Caucasus stands closer to the EU than to Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - According to the European Union Commissar for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the frozen conflicts in the region of South Caucuses doesn't allow the development of the countries of the region as well as their cooperation on the regional level, and this fact restricts the European Commission to come up with its initiative regarding any cooperation. "From this point of view we hope that within the frames of peace negotiations held by the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan and Armenia will be able to find solutions for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Commission invites both Armenia and Azerbaijan to become more enrolled in the regional initiatives, which will create bases for trust and accelerate the process of the peace negotiations," she said.

Together with this, the EU is sure that the Presidential elections in Azerbaijan and Armenia will have no negative effect on the achievements of the peace negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Dimiti Rupel, the EU is carefully watching the process of negotiations for resolution of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and we are highly encouraged by any positive achievements between these two countries. "The EU totally excludes the military way of conflict resolution. The parties must understand that the regulation of this conflict will support the development of the entire region, said the EU Commissar for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

She also repeated that the Commission will provide not only political but also financial support for the project having inclusive and regional significance. "However, for the moment we can't characterize Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad as such," she emphasized.

It is quite possible that the South Caucasus is one day closer to the EU than to Turkey. And the matter is not in geography only. The countries of the South Caucasus are more dependent on the external factors and on the influence of the world powers and international institutions than Turkey. They are more predictable and controllable. On the other hand it should be mentioned that Armenia's integration into Europe may become an additional motivation for the country's development on its way to democratization, which is of no less importance. Armenia's cooperation with the EU may also solve the problem of the Armenian-Turkish borders, though it must be noted that in this issue the EU thinks that both countries must make compromises. It is too early now to decide what these compromises include in them, but one thing is sure, Armenia would rather have a predictable European neighbor, than an unpredictable Islamic country.

According to RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanyan, the cooperation between Armenia and European Institutions was rather successful in 2007. "The relations with the EU have a strategic character and grant us the opportunity of cooperation in the economic field with the EU," emphasized Oskanyan. He also mentioned that within the frames of the project of cooperation, the EU takes up the responsibility of granting Armenia a share in internal market of the European Union.