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EU envoy says 2007 parliamentary polls in Armenia to be test of relations
Mediamax news agency
24 Jul 06
Yerevan, 24 July: The forthcoming parliamentary election in Armenia in
2007 "will be an important test of future relations between Armenia
and the EU", the EU special representative for the South Caucasus,
Peter Semneby, said in Yerevan today.
"We expect the forthcoming election to be in line with general European
standards," Peter Semneby told a joint news conference with Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan. The EU envoy declined to say what
measures the EU would take in case the parliamentary election in
Armenia fell short of international standards, describing the question
as "hypothetical".
Vardan Oskanyan said that at talks with Peter Semneby, they had
discussed four major issues - approval of Armenia's action plan within
the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy; a Nagornyy Karabakh
settlement; Armenia's relations with its neighbours, in particular,
with Turkey and Iran; the 2007 parliamentary election in Armenia.
Peter Semneby said that during the talks in Yerevan, they had also
discussed the closure of the Verkhniy Lars [Zemo Larsi] checkpoint
on the Georgian-Russian border and the impact of this decision taken
by the Russian authorities on the region as a whole and on Armenia
in particular.
Vardan Oskanyan said that Armenia's action plan within the framework
of the European Neighbourhood Policy is going to be adopted "soon".
Finland which chairs the EU is determined to approve action plans of
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia before the end of its chairmanship
on 31 December 2006, he said.
The Armenian foreign minister said that the action plans of the three
South Caucasus countries would be discussed during the forthcoming
visit of a top level delegation of the European Union to the region.
Mediamax news agency
24 Jul 06
Yerevan, 24 July: The forthcoming parliamentary election in Armenia in
2007 "will be an important test of future relations between Armenia
and the EU", the EU special representative for the South Caucasus,
Peter Semneby, said in Yerevan today.
"We expect the forthcoming election to be in line with general European
standards," Peter Semneby told a joint news conference with Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan. The EU envoy declined to say what
measures the EU would take in case the parliamentary election in
Armenia fell short of international standards, describing the question
as "hypothetical".
Vardan Oskanyan said that at talks with Peter Semneby, they had
discussed four major issues - approval of Armenia's action plan within
the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy; a Nagornyy Karabakh
settlement; Armenia's relations with its neighbours, in particular,
with Turkey and Iran; the 2007 parliamentary election in Armenia.
Peter Semneby said that during the talks in Yerevan, they had also
discussed the closure of the Verkhniy Lars [Zemo Larsi] checkpoint
on the Georgian-Russian border and the impact of this decision taken
by the Russian authorities on the region as a whole and on Armenia
in particular.
Vardan Oskanyan said that Armenia's action plan within the framework
of the European Neighbourhood Policy is going to be adopted "soon".
Finland which chairs the EU is determined to approve action plans of
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia before the end of its chairmanship
on 31 December 2006, he said.
The Armenian foreign minister said that the action plans of the three
South Caucasus countries would be discussed during the forthcoming
visit of a top level delegation of the European Union to the region.