Brussels, 01/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - In the follow-up to Per Gahrton's report (Swedish member of the Green group) on the Commission Communication on EU/South Caucasus relations, the EP called on Thursday for the European Commission to begin work on a proposal for a joint and global long-term strategy supporting these countries. This initiative would be loosely based on the experience of the Stability Pact for south-east Europe. The EP also requested holding a meeting between the EU and three countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azarbaijan) and the appointment of a new EU Special Envoy for the region.
The plenary also called on Turkey to put an end to the blockade against Armenia and referred to its Resolution of 18 June 1987 where it recognised the genocide committed against the Armenians in 1915 and called on Turkey to create the conditions for reconciliation. An amendment by Messrs. Duff, Legendijk, Van Orden and Lamassoure requesting that the reference to genocide be dropped, was rejected (96 in favour, 391 against and 15 abstentions).
The Turkish Vice Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz described the vote as "unacceptable" and that it "cast doubt on the European Union's credibility and impartiality". He declared that the adoption of the Resolution on the banning of HADEP was also "unacceptable" (see EUROPE 1 March page 7) but that, "it should not affect Turkey's perception vis-à-vis the European Union. On the contrary, it should be a driving force for Turkey on its work to full membership".
During the night debate session, a number of MEPs criticised the Union for not sufficiently rising to the challenges in the region. FPÖ MEP Hans Kronberger said that it was a region rich in energy reserves and therefore attractive to the "great powers". CSU MEP Ursula Schleicher pointed out that Georgia was expecting aid from the USA, while the EU was notably absent. Olivier Dupuis (Lista Bonino) once again took on the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, claiming that Mr Nielson must have thought that the Caucasus had a similar population to Greenland or the Antarctic and had forgotten that it was a key access zone as strategically important as Central Asia. Mr Dupuis pointed out that in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the people felt European and that the EU had to invite them to join within the next ten years and with that perspective in mind they would be ready. A number of MEPs referred to the conflict between Armenia and Turkey. Democrtici di sinistra MEP, Demetrio Volcic, appealed for a de-dramatisation of the situation and that they should think of the future and leave the past to the historians (he was alluding to the new OSCE approach the Minsk Group will be studying on Nagorny-Karabak). Dominique Souchet from the Mouvement pour la France was of a differing opinion, demanding that Turkey create the conditions for reconciliation with Armenia and that Ankara put an end to any revisionism on the Armenian question, which remained the main stumbling block for creating conditions for peace in the Southern Caucasus. French Green MEP, Marie Anne Isler Béguin spoke of these three countries as "three sisters, friends and enemies" but considered that their relations were more peaceful now that the Council of Europe, "the ante-Chamber" of the European Union had opened their doors to them. European Commissioner, Loyola de Palacio, pointed out that the EU has had Co-operation Agreements with countries in the area since 1999 and wanted to give a new boost to relations with them. She also indicated that Union funding in these countries had reached EU 2 billion by 1991. Ms Loyola de Palacio declared that the EU wanted to participate more in conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction and that although the Union was aware of its limits for action, it wanted to maximise the impact of its existing instruments. The Commissioner pointed out that there was no quick-fix solution in the area and that they had to work patiently. She also noted, along with a number of other MEPs, that the Union's interests were at stake, particularly concerning energy supplies.