Swedish MP: EU can play constructive role in resolving Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The European Union can contribute to the advancement of negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict and the program "Eastern Partnership" is one of the steps on this path, MP from the ruling Moderate party and member of the Swedish Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs Gustav Blix  said

"The EU and alos Sweden want to play a constructive part in solving frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. I think that a European integration is a way forward and the Eastern Partnership is a part of that. This
program creates a natural framework for reducing tensions and launching the process," Blix said in an interview with Trend.

He said the EC has been successful in solving other conflicts that has been a great achievement in the great European integration project.

"These solutions are the pan-European, which laid the basis for respect for international law and international borders, as well as human rights and democracy," Blix said.

One of the main objectives within the overall European security, Blix said, is reducing tensions and improving the integration process in the member countries of the Eastern Partnership, one of the initiators of which was Sweden. All conflicts in the region, in his opinion, should be resolved peacefully.

"All conflicts in the region, including Nagorno-Karabakh, have to find a political solution [...] exclusively on the basis of respect for international law and international borders. Achieving this, it will be easier to begin the process of economic and market integration and improve living conditions for every nation," Blix said.

However, Blix doubts that a solution to the conflict will be possible overnight.

"The conflict is continued for over 20 years, and it is naive to believe that solutions can be achieved at one point. However, Sweden believes that through integration and empowerment of 6 member countries of the Eastern Partnership" can be done to establish cooperation and the future membership [in the EU] may be one of the ways to solve this problem," Blix said.

Blix believes other regional countries such as Turkey must be involved in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict besides the U.S. and Russia.

The Eastern Partnership Program is a Polish-Swedish initiative under the EU Neighborhood Policy aimed at improving EU relations with 6 former Soviet countries Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine and Armenia. The program envisages the allocation of 600 million euro to these countries until 2013 to strengthen state institutions, control borders and help small companies. The program's constituent summit was held in Prague on May 7, 2009.

The next summit will be held in Budapest in May 2010 and chaired by Hungary. Important steps have been taken as part of the "Eastern Partnership" to increase contacts and partnership among the six countries, including, of course, Azerbaijan, Blix said adding that, however, there are still some problems to be solved.

"Each of the 6 countries of the Partnership has its own individual problems, and we discuss how we continue to move forward. I believe that countries have good prospects for developing relations in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and the EU," Blix said.


/Trend/