"The European Union has become increasingly involved during the past years in the South Caucasus especially after the inclusion of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). In 2007 the EU, together with South Caucasus states, will start preparing projects to benefit from funding of the ENP Initiative," said Sabine Freizer, the Director of Europe Program of the International Crisis Group.

"Since 2006 a new EU Special Representative, Ambassador Semneby, has also been active on conflict related issues. The EU has also increased its political statements on regional conflicts, and is likely to include a series of conflict related projects under ENPI funding. In this regard, Georgia has particularly been successful in lobbying the EU to take a stronger political role in assisting to resolve its conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The EU's capability to address conflict in the South Caucasus is clearly growing. But that does not mean that it is going to use military force rather it will help through political statements and project implementation.

I think that one way the EU could better assist in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution is to become a member of the OSCE Minsk Group," she said, reports Trend news agency.