October 2, 2003 - 22:01 AMT
"SIGNAL" ON POSSIBLE GRANTING EU MEMBERSHIP TO SOUTH CAUCASIAN COUNTRIES TO PROMOTE REGIONAL CONFLICT SETTLEMENT, ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CONSIDERS
If a "signal" is received from the European Union that Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia can become EU members in the course of time, "it will shift their way of thinking regarding conflict settlement," Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian said yesterday in Brussels, "Mediamax" agency reported. In his words, if this is the case the countries of the region will become "less aggressive and less exacting." "Conflict settlement will be found in a totally different context, more convenient for solving the problems available," the minister said. V. Oskanian noted that the European Union could attract the South Caucasian countries in regional cooperation in the near future. In his opinion, "TRASECA and INOGATE programs are a good example of involvement of the South Caucasian countries in regional cooperation format, in spite of the conflicts available."