Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – A European Union official has said the EU’s Eastern Partnership "does not offer an EU membership perspective" for the six former Soviet countries participating in the program but "at the same time, it does not prejudge future developments", Armenia’s Mediamax news agency reported.

Stefan Fule, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighborhood Policy, said the "association agreements", which focus on creating free trade zones as well as significantly bringing into compliance the participating states’ laws and standards with EU criteria, "reflect unprecedented level of ambitions in the EU’s relations with its eastern partners".

"This is more than just improving interaction under the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreements, this is a transformational program which impacts society at large. Spreading values of the EU, namely, freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, lies at the core of this process. These are the same values, which, in accord with Article 49 of the European Union Treaty, must be respected by all countries that have set out European integration as their strategic goal."

According to Fule, if the Eastern Partnership countries successfully implement the Association Agreements -- a process whose success depends on their commitment and hard work -- this will facilitate the strengthening of these countries and benefit their citizens.

"To help the partners prepare for the negotiations of these agreements and to support their future implementation, we provide increased financial and technical assistance to strengthen their administrative capacity at all levels," Fule said.

Eastern Partnership is a Polish-Swedish initiative launched at an EU summit held in Prague in May 2009 under the EU Neighborhood Policy to expand EU relations with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Belarus, and Ukraine. The program envisages the allocation of 600 million euros to these countries until 2013 to strengthen state institutions, control borders and help small companies.

Belarus has lately been expelled from the program after the presidential elections held in the country were not recognized by the EU.