Yerevan, 02/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The political situation permitting, the European Union may, in June or July this year, begin talks on the conclusion of an association agreement with Armenia, Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who currently heads the EU delegation on visit to the countries of the South Caucasus, said in Yerevan.
Speaking on Tuesday 2 March after a meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian, Moratinos said he hoped the directives for negotiation would be adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council in March. He also announced that work would be stepped up in the field of justice and home affairs, and especially on visas. “This is the first visit under the new Lisbon Treaty”, Moratinos said, before asserting that the EU was able to “relaunch” relations with Armenia and that the Eastern Partnership provided a “clear roadmap” for achieving this. Moratinos also affirmed that the EU would “support the effort” aimed at settling the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh which has opposed Armenia and its neighbour Azerbaijan for over 15 years now. He did say, however, that this effort should comply with the Madrid principles (established under Spanish OSCE presidency in 2007), which promote the search for a peaceful solution, in line with democratic rules and negotiated within the framework of work by the Minsk group responsible for talks under the auspices of the OSCE. Such principles have recently been updated on the basis of a joint proposal by the French, American and Russian presidents, published on 10 July 2009 on the sidelines of the G8 summit in L'Aquila. The updated version of the Madrid principles provide in particular for the territories surrounding Upper Karabakh to return under the control of Azerbaijan, with an interim status for Upper Karabakh providing security guarantees and ensuring autonomous administration, as well as a corridor linking Armenia to Upper Karabakh, the future definition of the final legal status of Upper Karabakh in the context of a process of legally binding conditions for settlement, the right of all displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence, and international security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation.
Miguel Angel Moratinos also supported the process for rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey. The two countries in question are encountering difficulties in implementing two protocols signed last October with a view to rekindling bilateral relations and diplomatic dialogue. (A.By./transl.jl)