Brussels, 04/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 4 July during his visit to Yerevan, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, made another appeal to Armenia to attempt to resolve its conflicts with Azerbaijan, on the subject of the Nagorno-Karabakh and with Turkey. The president said that, “the European Union will continue to insist that Armenia and Azerbaijan step up their efforts to reach agreement”. He underlined his concerns about the most recent incidents that have occurred in the region and added that, “the European Union calls on both sides strictly to respect the ceasefire and exercise restraint, on the ground and in public statements, in order to prevent a further escalation of the situation. Threats and the use of force do not contribute to a resolution of this persisting conflict”. He emphasised the fact that the EU would continue to demand unconditional access for representatives of the European Union to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions. Van Rompuy explained that the EU was prepared to provide further assistance with confidence-building measures and affirmed that, “once there is a settlement agreement the EU will be ready to help implementing it including with rehabilitation assistance”. The president also asserted that the European Union will continue to encourage Armenia and Turkey to remain committed to the process of normalisation of bilateral relations, without preconditions. “The situation in the region is a major challenge”, declared Van Rompuy, adding that a resolution of the conflict on Nagorno-Karabakh, “is the key to unlocking the region's enormous development potential and the prosperity that it can bring” to the whole region and to Armenia.
The president of the European Council expressed the EU's support to Armenia's commitment to introducing reforms based on fundamental European values, the strengthening of democratic institutions, promoting transparency, eradicating corruption, respecting human rights and the primacy of rule of law. Van Rompuy highlighted the importance of civil society and concluded that the joint project to bring Armenia and the EU closer together would not work or reach its full potential unless it were accepted by its citizens. (CG/trans/fl)