The E.U. announced plans Tuesday to work towards stronger ties with
South Caucasus nations Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan,
dismissing concern about Russian concern at the move.
"These countries are sovereign nations and they have the right to choose
their own destiny. They have expressed their view for a closer relationship
with the E.U.," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds
the E.U. presidency, said.
"They have their right to choose their own future, not to be restricted by
the wishes of everyone else," he added, following talks in Brussels with his fellow
E.U. foreign ministers.
Russia still considers the region to be part of its
neighborhood. Following a short war with Georgia
last year it recognized, and controls, two breakaway Georgian regions, Abkhazia
and South Ossetia.
The E.U. is not suggesting any sudden tightening of ties with the South Caucasus as a whole.
What the E.U. ministers asked the European Commission to do is to prepare
separate mandates for Association Agreements with the three countries.
Under such deals, which the E.U. already has with several countries, the bloc
would offer tariff-free access to E.U. markets along with financial and
technical assistance in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade
or human rights reform.
"We are ready to prepare the negotiating mandates, on the basis of today's
discussion," said E.U. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.
He said work should be concluded in November so that the process can move
ahead.
He too dismissed the question of Russian opposition to strengthened ties
between the E.U. and the South Caucasus
nations.
"These are sovereign nations, and our interest is to engage with these
countries because they want to engage with us," he told reporters.
EU officials were keen to stress that those negotiations would not necessarily
proceed at the same pace for each nation or achieve the same results.
"While we want to move ahead with the three countries in the South Caucasus, their individual development will decide
the speed and scope of our work," Rehn said.
There is no doubt that Georgia
is in the lead in this regard.
Last month, the European Commission announced it had reached agreement with Georgia
on easing visa rules and sending back illegal immigrants.