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BAKU: LINKS Calls On EU To Increase Pressure On Armenia

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  • BAKU: LINKS Calls On EU To Increase Pressure On Armenia

    LINKS CALLS ON EU TO INCREASE PRESSURE ON ARMENIA

    news.az
    Sept 29 2011
    Azerbaijan

    EU should increase pressure on Armenia to withdraw its troops from
    Azerbaijani territory, said LINKS Executive Director.

    On 26 September, Labour Party Conference delegates in Liverpool
    attended a fringe debate entitled 'Russia, Azerbaijan and the West:
    what does the New Great Game mean for Europe's energy security?'
    organised by The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), in association
    with Progress.

    The panel comprised Wayne David MP, Shadow Minister for Europe;
    Richard Howitt MEP; Charles Grant, Director, Centre for European
    Reform; and Dennis Sammut OBE, Executive Director, LINKS. The Chairman
    was Mike Gapes MP.

    According to Mr David, the UK remains the largest foreign investor
    in Azerbaijan, largely due to the BP investment of $23bn (£14.8bn)
    in the country since 1994. He revealed that the UK government
    had repeatedly acknowledged the importance of Azerbaijan to the UK
    economy. Mr David went on to explain the Western European requirement
    for energy security, and expressed the hope that the Southern Energy
    Corridor, bringing Caspian resources to Western Europe, would receive
    UK support for its construction. Mr David also stressed his backing
    for the OSCE Minsk Group, tasked with achieving peaceful resolution
    of the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict over the Azerbaijani
    territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven adjacent regions.

    He stated that Azerbaijan could still progress, and added that the EU
    European Neighborhood Programme had only been partially successful
    in the country. Mike Gapes observed that Baku had rapidly developed
    since the advent of the second oil boom in 1994, and that the country
    had to ensure the income from oil and gas resources was invested to
    achieve future economic diversification.

    Mr Gapes went on to cite the Norwegian Model, as that country had
    sought to invest its income from the extractive industries in a
    sustainable manner. Richard Howitt revealed that 80 per cent of
    Armenian energy infrastructure was Russian-owned, whereas Azerbaijan
    has a reputation for stability and a strong relationship with the EU.

    He went on to ask if the EU was ready to meet the challenge of creating
    an integrated energy policy.

    Dennis Sammut explained that Azerbaijan still had to decide its
    strategy regarding organization of its energy future. He revealed that,
    since the inception of the second oil boom, a decision had been made
    regarding collaboration with the West, as opposed to Russia, regarding
    exploitation of its natural resources. He said that it was important
    to understand that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline had been
    constructed by the BP-led Azerbaijan International Operating Consortium
    (AIOC) to transport Caspian resources. Mr Sammut went on to comment
    that Azerbaijani success had been achieved and good relations with
    Russia had been maintained.

    He referred to last week's news that the EU was aiming to ratify
    an agreement with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to construct a new
    Trans-Caspian pipeline. He also renewed calls for a peaceful and
    just resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, requesting that
    the EU should increase pressure on Armenia to withdraw its troops
    from Azerbaijani territory. Mr Sammut acknowledged that Azerbaijan
    remains a well-organized country, having derived sufficient profits
    from the energy sector to achieve progress.

    He concluded that the EU has a unique opportunity to take the
    relationship with Azerbaijan to the next level, and reported
    that Total had found enormous resources of gas in the Caspian Sea,
    necessitating further EU engagement with Azerbaijan. During a lively
    question-and-answer session, Mr Sammut expressed his hope that
    a unified EU would speak with one voice during negotiations with
    Azerbaijan on the proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline.

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