March 21, 2006 - 17:11 AMT
NATO and EU Interested in Participation in Karabakh Process
The first serious request of the European community for increase of its role in the region was made last January in David Atkinson's report at the PACE, Director of Civil Society and Regional Development Institute, political scientist Aghavni Karakhanyan stated in a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In her words, the report's point lied exactly in enhancing Europe's role in the South Caucasus. «Quite a logical step is the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), which includes conflict settlement, in particular that of the Nagorno Karabakh. The NATO IPAP does not imply anything about conflict settlement. This is mere verbiage. Though NATO official mission in the South Caucasus did not consider conflict settlement a priority. Of course, the NATO is interested in participation,» she remarked. Karakhanyan emphasized that EU activation in the region is quite explainable. «The US and OSCE try to solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and requests for EU involvement in the region blends with activation of US policy,» she said.