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EM Azerbaijan - The Eastern Partnership Programme And The Southern C

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  • EM Azerbaijan - The Eastern Partnership Programme And The Southern C

    EM AZERBAIJAN - THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME AND THE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS

    http://www.communicate-europe.co.uk/inde x.php?id=6811&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=2347&cHas h=834d32ef9e
    25.06.09 16:08

    The documents called "Eastern Partnership Programme" signed on May
    07 this year between Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova,
    Belarus and EU have a great impact. The "Neighborhood Policy" adopted
    in 2004 and the signed partnership programme are based on a document
    called "European Security Strategy" adopted in 2003. The observations
    indicate that the Security Strategy is an outcome of military-political
    shocks Europe faced on the international level. Thus, in the mid
    of 1990 EU didn't do anything to prevent the military conflict in
    Bosnia. Only after the USA mediatory mission, the Dayton agreement on
    Bosnia was reached and the conflict was put to an end. Then conflict
    in Kosovo forced the EU to feel the political-military shock. It's
    true that the EU tried to put an end to the conflicts but failed to
    do so. This is natural, because the EU didn't have any real mechanisms
    to settle these conflicts. It should be noted that prevention of this
    conflict was also reached after NATO intervention. Finally in March
    2003 during military operations against Iraq of allies led by USA
    different opinions were observed within the EU. This is a third shock
    for Europe. Especi ally the wars in Balkanlar indicated the EU to stay
    defenseless. The Iraq war proved the importance of the involvement
    of the USA in military context in Europe. Ensuring security around
    the EU is important in regard to ensure its own security.

    Today we can list following threats to the EU:

    1. Increase of nuclear weapons 2. Terror threats 3. The State Failure
    model in Neighborhood 4. Energy security.

    This is a main term to get to work out different instruments and carry
    serious reforms in the neighboring states. In this regard the Eastern
    Partnership Programme can be considered one of such instruments.

    If we take an attention to Eastern Partnership Programme and if take
    account not only the cooperation in the field of energy security the
    principles reflected here are the same with principles of Copenhagen
    in 1993.

    Certainly, adding the cooperation in the filed of energy is natural.

    Because, after the final enlargement in 2007 the European borders
    closed to a energy origins. Besides, Russian usage of energy factor
    as a political pressure made topical this question for EU.

    The region has strategic importance in geopolitical regard. After
    collapse of Soviet Union the regional countries gained their
    independence and there is built the important hall in geographical
    context dividing the Russian and Iran geopolitical from each
    other. Just the South Caucasus region is a unique spa ce playing
    a role for guaranteed access to Middle Asia of West. So,the region
    has special importance on the context of transit. Besides, region
    settlement in geographical context between Russia and Iran determines
    the geopolitical importance on global context. Also, the direct access
    of region to a basin of Khazar with richest fields of gas and oil
    shapes its geo-economic importance.

    At present the region carries the importance in three directions:

    â~@¢ The geographical position between Russia and Iran â~@¢ Access
    to energy resources â~@¢ Importance on context of transit.

    Among the above mentioned factors the first and third ones are
    geographical so they are very stabile. But the second one is not
    long-lasting. The natural resources are exhausted so this factor
    is temporarily.

    The policy being pursued by Russia toward region mainly looks like a
    system of relations existed during Soviet period. Russian political
    establishment didn't escape from stereotypes of Cold War so this
    creates a serious problems. This interferes with building bilateral
    equal relationships with former soviet republics in psychological
    context. Such a situation often creates a tension in the bilateral
    ties. Russia treats to former soviet republics as its own space of
    interests. This was proved in 2008 August during Russia-Georgia war.

    At present Russia is one of the creates exporter of gas and oil to

    Europe. Just for these natural superiority Russia uses the energy
    factors in its foreign policy as pressure against western countries. On
    the bases of this tension there is a chance of South Caucasus to
    be alternative of Russia in this field. So, this alternative (South
    Caucasus) gives an outcome like weakening of Middle Asia's dependence
    from Russia.

    Another factor is Iran. Increasing of probabilities of Iran's gaining
    the nuclear weapon makes it real to become a Nuclear State in the
    near period. Iran in the west part of region as a state of anti-west
    inclination trying to get a nuclear weapon could be brought cataclysms
    to region hard to be analyzed. Hereinafter the regional countries must
    take serious account Iran and Russia factors in their relationships
    with EU. If Iran get nuclear weapon the "South Caucasus Hall" will be
    closed again as it was happened during Cold War period. The unsolved
    problems in the region increase this threat.

    At present the problems in region need to be solved are followings:

    â~@¢ Security â~@¢ Settling of conflicts â~@¢ Sustainable democracy
    â~@¢ Good governing â~@¢ Social-economic development

    Just implementation of articles considered in the Programme (Eastern
    Partnership) has a great importance in regard of settling of problems
    above mentioned. Later the EU and the regional countries will earn
    more.

    A nother importance of Partnership Programme is that there is
    considered to create a Civil Society Forum here. Involvement of
    Civil Societies will create a real condition for programmes to be
    effective. Of course the Forum to be built can realize mainly a
    public lobby function, besides, in regard of building and promoting
    of mutual relationships between Civil Society Institutes of region
    this Forum will be beneficial. Because, if compare European Movements
    in South Caucasus with other NGOs it's clear that three Movements
    are the institutions who share the same values and have common goal
    and are real partners. To increase Civil Society Institutes active
    participation in the process it would be better to give a Forum a
    status of Observation and Consultative Body.

    In the geographical, historical and cultural context the South
    Caucasian countries are a continuation of Europe and if they can
    execute this programme successfully this will be a great step toward
    membership to European Union.

    Surkhan Latifov EM in Azerbaijan
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