Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-27-Speech-3-179"
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"en.20020227.12.3-179"2
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"Thank you very much Mr President. I am very happy with Mr Gahrton’s report because it makes a timely and useful contribution to our discussions on Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, three countries, currently members of the Council of Europe, which have not reached the level of political and economic development to which they aspire and which we would want them to have.
Instead of creating new instruments, we should focus on maximising the benefits of already existing instruments. In this regard I should like to highlight three aspects of our discussion: firstly, the political will of the participants, above all else, is the key, the aspect most likely to result in progress. In the current situation it is crucial that we maximise our efforts to support our commitments, particularly by means of political dialogue. Difficult choices will have to be made and a culture of commitment to the southern Caucasus will have to be developed.
Secondly, in order for the European Union to be able to participate to the highest possible degree in conflict resolution, we must continue intensifying our common foreign and security policy as well as our role in the measures to promote conflict resolution. I am referring, in particular, to the OSCE Minsk Group, to Nagorno Karabakh, to the friends of the Secretary General of Abkhazia and to the Joint Control Commission for South Ossetia.
We have made progress recently; since last year, the Union European has been participating in the tasks of the Joint Control Commission for South Ossetia, but a great deal remains to be done to ensure that the Union’s voice is heard in certain mediation circles.
Thirdly, we have to ensure that the southern Caucasus has a definitive place on the agenda of our relations with the main players in the region, such as Russia, Turkey, Iran and the United States, and as some of you have said, also in our own interest, amongst other things, for reasons of energy supply.
In conclusion, there is not a single and easy answer to the question of how to improve relations between the Union and the southern Caucasus. The Gahrton report rightly reminds us that we have to work patiently, on various parallel levels, probably for a long period of time, within the limits of available resources and on the basis of the achievements of the last year. The Commission wishes to explore new ways of promoting peace and development in the southern Caucasus.
I wish to remind you, ladies and gentlemen, that at a certain point, there will have to be a limit to European integration, and I should like to point out that in terms of geographical proximity and of historical ties, we are closely connected to countries such as Morocco, Algeria or others on the shores of the Mediterranean.
The conflicts in Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia still represent the greatest threat to the stability and development of the region and of its neighbours. These conflicts, at a standstill today, could tomorrow become new danger zones, and, for this reason, I fully agree with Mr Gahrton’s point that the European Union must make a huge effort to help solve these problems, with a view to promoting the causes of peace and development.
We are not starting with a blank slate, which is why before looking at some of the key points of this report, I shall give a brief summary of our current relations with this region.
The partnership and cooperation agreements that we have signed with each of the three countries provide a unique platform for cooperation in a broad range of fields, from political dialogue, trade and investment, to relations with civil society. The implementation of these agreements, which entered into force in 1999, is gaining impetus.
Furthermore, we are continuing to provide considerable levels of aid to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The European Union has provided some EUR one billion since 1991, the year in which these countries gained independence.
Last year, the European Union sent the region a clear sign of its wish to make a greater contribution to conflict prevention, to conflict resolution and to rehabilitation following conflicts. In February 2001, the first EU ministerial troika for the region conveyed this message, which was later confirmed in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 26 February.
In a joint statement adopted at the meetings of the Cooperation Council last October, the three partner countries explicitly expressed their satisfaction with the intentions of the Union.
Mr Gahrton draws our attention to some of the instruments we have used in other places and suggests that we apply them to the southern Caucasus: a common strategy, a stability pact, a special envoy and other measures.
Since we are aware that there are limits to what we can do, let us look at how far we can go and what the new financing needs are."@en1
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