EU official warns against military rhetoric on Garabagh
A European Union official has said bellicose
rhetoric is useless for a settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh.
"I am not familiar with the Azerbaijani side’s specific statements, but I can say that belligerent rhetoric will not advance a peaceful settlement of the Garabagh conflict," Stefan Fule, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), said in a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian in Yerevan.
The EU commissioner told a joint news conference that non-use of force should be supplemented to the set of international principles applied in dealing with Garabagh settlement.
The Caucasus region remains a source of tension due to lingering conflicts. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been facing a conflict for nearly two decades. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts despite international calls and UN resolutions demanding its pullout. Baku has not ruled out military action to liberate its land and has spent billions on dollars on building up its military.
Fule noted that the EU not only backs efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering the peace process but also implements specific programs aimed at confidence-building in the volatile region.
Regarding the process of Turkey-Armenia reconciliation, Fule said that a normalization of the two countries’ relations would promote Turkey’s admission to the EU. "Good neighborliness ties are a vital quality during the evaluation of EU accession bids."
The commissioner emphasized that the EU had welcomed the 2009 signing of the Ankara-Yerevan agreements on mending bilateral relations and facilitated the process. He said the bloc supports ratification of the protocols without pre-conditions over an acceptable time frame and, once the documents take effect, is ready to assist in solving the cross-border problem, which refers to the opening of the Turkey-Armenia border that remains shut over historic differences.
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades and maintain no diplomatic ties. Ankara and Yerevan signed two protocols on normalizing their relations in Switzerland in October 2009. However, the documents require approval in both countries’ parliaments. Turkish officials have assured Azerbaijan, Turkey’s ally, that the protocols will not pass in the country’s parliament until progress is made in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Also, the Armenian Constitutional Court’s ruling issued in January was criticized by Ankara as it essentially indicated that the allegations on World War I-era "genocide" in the Ottoman Empire and territorial claims against Turkey remain on the agenda.*
"I am not familiar with the Azerbaijani side’s specific statements, but I can say that belligerent rhetoric will not advance a peaceful settlement of the Garabagh conflict," Stefan Fule, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), said in a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian in Yerevan.
The EU commissioner told a joint news conference that non-use of force should be supplemented to the set of international principles applied in dealing with Garabagh settlement.
The Caucasus region remains a source of tension due to lingering conflicts. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been facing a conflict for nearly two decades. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts despite international calls and UN resolutions demanding its pullout. Baku has not ruled out military action to liberate its land and has spent billions on dollars on building up its military.
Fule noted that the EU not only backs efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering the peace process but also implements specific programs aimed at confidence-building in the volatile region.
Regarding the process of Turkey-Armenia reconciliation, Fule said that a normalization of the two countries’ relations would promote Turkey’s admission to the EU. "Good neighborliness ties are a vital quality during the evaluation of EU accession bids."
The commissioner emphasized that the EU had welcomed the 2009 signing of the Ankara-Yerevan agreements on mending bilateral relations and facilitated the process. He said the bloc supports ratification of the protocols without pre-conditions over an acceptable time frame and, once the documents take effect, is ready to assist in solving the cross-border problem, which refers to the opening of the Turkey-Armenia border that remains shut over historic differences.
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades and maintain no diplomatic ties. Ankara and Yerevan signed two protocols on normalizing their relations in Switzerland in October 2009. However, the documents require approval in both countries’ parliaments. Turkish officials have assured Azerbaijan, Turkey’s ally, that the protocols will not pass in the country’s parliament until progress is made in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Also, the Armenian Constitutional Court’s ruling issued in January was criticized by Ankara as it essentially indicated that the allegations on World War I-era "genocide" in the Ottoman Empire and territorial claims against Turkey remain on the agenda.*
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