Karabakh conflict obstacle for Eastern Partnership

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is an obstacle for the European Partnership, according to the head of the European Commission delegation to Azerbaijan.



"The European Union will brisk up activities for soonest resolution of the conflict," Amb. Alan Waddams said. "At that, the EU will endorse the OSCE Minsk Group," he added, Trend Azeri news agency reports.



The European Commission is to propose pulling the EU's six post-Soviet neighbors closer to the West by recognizing their "European aspirations" and creating a new "European Economic Area."



The new EU policy - first floated by Poland and Sweden in May - proposes signing "Association Agreements" with Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the next few years and to "acknowledge the European identity and aspirations of these countries."



The draft communique underlines that the new pacts, which recall the association treaties signed with Poland or Lithuania prior to the 2004 round of enlargement, do not amount to a promise of future accession. "The conclusion of Association Agreements will be without prejudice to the partners' European aspirations."



The draft communique proposes holding an "Eastern Partnership Summit" in June 2009 to launch the project. Follow-up meetings of EU and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers are to take place each Spring. "Senior officials" from the "27 + 5 (6)" countries are to meet twice-yearly to prepare for the ministerials.