The negotiating directives for Association Agreements with the South Caucasus countries will be presented for formal adoption at the Foreign Affairs Council on May 10, said Stefan Fule, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy in his speech at the European Parliament where he described results of his recent trips to the South Caucasus countries and Ukraine.
“This will pave the way for the EU side to prepare for the launch of negotiations. These Agreements will allow for close political association between each of the partners in the South Caucasus and the EU, building on common values and shared principles”.
Sharing his impressions from the trips to the South Caucasus countries, Stefan Fule noted that throughout his trip to the South Caucasus he felt the presence of regional tension and the effects of armed conflict which have so dramatically impacted on people’s lives. He said he appreciated in particular the possibilities to speak to internally displaced persons in Georgia and in Azerbaijan. “In my meetings I conveyed that the EU’s overall goal for the region is a stable, secure and prosperous South Caucasus”.
Stefan Fule spoke about the importance of the Armenia-Turkey normalisation process and said on Nagorno-Karabakh, the EU would aim to step up its support to ongoing peace efforts.
APA
